01 April,2011 07:18 AM IST | | Astha Saxena
With the first case of dengue in the city being reported from the institute, the MCD is gearing up to prevent an early outbreak of the disease
Call it an irony of our healthcare system. The country's premier medical institute, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), is usually the first place in the Capital from where dengue cases are reported. The resident doctors there are often the first victims of this disease in the city every season.
Dr VK Monga, Chairman, Public Health Committee, MCD
The reason, officials feel, is the lack of awareness among the students residing on the campus. "The overheads tanks in the Institute, water coolers and other mosquito breeding places are not checked properly. Many of the overhead tanks in the campus are left without proper covers, which leads to the breeding of the mosquitoes," said Dr V K Monga, Chairman, Public Health Committee of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The Corporation some time back confirmed that a doctor from the Institute was tested positive for dengue, a first case of the disease in the city this season.
The Institute has often claimed that they have been taking preventive steps to check the menace but the doctors on the campus hold a different view. "The overheads tanks and other places where mosquitoes breed are often ignored. Though, officially the institute has a Dengue Prevention Cell to take care of such matters but it seems that the Cell exists only on paper," said a doctor from AIIMS on the condition of anonymity.
"We had fined the Institute in the years 2003, 2006 and 2010 as there were large number of places within the Institute where mosquitoes were breeding ," said Dr P K Sharma, Medical Officer, (Health), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
Interestingly, last year, NDMC had issued legal notices to hospitals like Lady Hardinge's College, Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia and even AIIMS over water stagnation and mosquitoes breeding issues.
In first week of March, Anoop Singh, a PG student of AIIMS was tested positive for dengue and admitted to the hospital. "Almost every year, the first and the last positive cases of dengue fever are reported from the AIIMS premises. This calls for proper sanitation in the residential areas within the campus," Monga said.
Last year, a total of 6,229 dengue cases and eight deaths due to dengue fever were reported from the city. Eight fresh cases of dengue were reported in the National Capital in December 2010 despite the onset of
winter, leaving medical experts and health officials worried as mosquito breeding normally subsides by mid-November.
When asked why there are so many number of dengue cases reported from the campus, Medical Superintendent, AIIMS, Dr D K Sharma said, "I will not like to comment on this until and unless I see all the files and find exact reason for it. Till that time, I will not say anything."
Health budget of MCD
Rs 30 crore in 2009-2010
Rs 54.9 crore in 2010-2011u00a0
Rs 55 crore in
2011-2012
Early measures will be taken: VK Monga
With AIIMS having already reported the first case of dengue this year, how are you planning to tackle this early onset of disease?
We will make the Domestic Breeding Checkers available to all the Resident Welfare Associations from April 1 itself instead of usual May-June months. Also, ward level committee meetings to check the menace in the various parts of the city will start from April 15, instead of the usual June month.
What measures should people take to prevent the disease from breaking out in their homes and neighbourhood?
Though the water coolers are not being used so far, but people should ensure that whenever they use them, they are kept clean to prevent mosquito breeding. People should also remain aware about the disease and keep their neighbourhood clean so that there are minimum mosquitoes in their vicinity.
