With nearly 100 cases of chikungunya reported in the national capital before the onset of monsoon, Delhi Health Minister, Satyendra Jai, on 30 May said that the government was prepared to handle any possible outbreak of vector-borne diseases in the city.
At least 36 people had died due to chikungunya and dengue in 2016.
The Arvind Kejriwal government had received flak after one of the worst outbreaks of chikungunya in the city with a total of 12,221 cases reported till December 24, 2016 out of which 9,749 were confirmed.
There have been meetings at LG-level on steps to be taken to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes. All civic bodies have been instructed as well. Besides, we have directed various hospitals to increase their bed strength by 10–20 percent.Satyendra Jain, Health Minster
Jain had made a surprise visit to the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital at Dilshad Garden. During his inspection, Jain also interacted with patients and their family members.
His visit on 30 May comes days after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's surprise inspection at Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, during which he had expressed displeasure over the state of affairs there.
There are about 10,000 beds in Delhi government hospitals. We had put extra beds last year as well and this time as well, we will add more beds if needed.Satyendra Jain
At least 96 cases of chikungunya have been reported in Delhi so far this year, with 10 of them in May, according to a municipal report released on 29 May.
Though the season of the vector-borne diseases had ended in December, the city continues to report such cases, which has prompted authorities to prepare a roadmap to combat them.
As many as 4,431 cases of dengue were reported till the end of 2016. At least 15 fatalities were reported in 2016 at various hospitals in the city due to complications triggered by chikungunya, though the civic bodies have kept the death tally at zero.
At least 21 deaths due to dengue were reported in 2016 at various hospitals, including nine at AIIMS, though the official tally of the SDMC stood at 10.
Seventeen suspected deaths in 2016 due to malaria were also reported by the civic bodies.
The season for the vector-borne diseases begins from mid-July and generally lasts till November-end.
On 13 May, Kejriwal had chaired a high-level meeting of officers from the three municipal corporations and the Delhi government to discuss plans to combat vector-borne diseases in the national capital.
He had also written to Union Health Minister JP Nadda, requesting him to reserve 10 percent of the beds in the central government-run hospitals for the treatment of dengue and chikungunya patients.
Lt Governor Anil Baijal had on 29 April directed Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital to keep beds ready for dengue and chikungunya patients in the event of an outbreak of vector-borne diseases in the city.
The municipal authorities had in early March called an all-hands workshop on the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases to finalise a comprehensive action plan for combating the menace in the coming season.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)