NEW DELHI: Amidst the rise of dengue admissions in hospitals, the Delhi government claimed that 25 per cent of patients occupying beds were outsiders for asserting that the situation was under control. Of the 21 hospitals in question, official sources said that three do not have any dengue case, while 10 others have patients in single digits.
"Only 221 patients are admitted in Delhi's hospitals. Out of the total patients admitted in the hospitals, 25 per cent (55 cases) are outsiders. Still, the numbers are as low as it was in 2019," said a government official.
Earlier on Thursday, health minister Satyendar Jain too asserted that the situation was under control. "Adequate beds are available. Things are still the same as they were in 2019. Corona was at its peak in 2020. As people were at home, cases came down rapidly. This year, too, the situation is expected to remain the same," he said.
Doctors said they are keeping track of where the patients are from. "We are not calculating who is coming from where but there are patients from NCR belt such as Meerut, Faridabad, Gurugram. On a single day, we are seeing around five-six admissions. But there are enough beds. We can accommodate patients comfortably," said Dr Suresh Kumar, Medical Director, Lok Nayak Hospital.
A senior AIIMS doctor conceded that many were coming from neighbouring states and areas beyond the city limits, but added that this number was not more than Delhi's. As per government sources, many were arriving with seasonal fever and only 25 per cent tested positive for dengue. Other patients were discharged in a day or two.
"There is a fever clinic in the campus. Those testing positive are admitted. Construction is on in many places where water is bound to affect the labourers. Early diagnosis is not possible for them. They have to get admitted," said Dr Jugal Kishore, head of medicine at Safdarjung Hospital.
Another trend is people going to select hospitals leading to overcrowding. "Eight to ten patients are positive. Some non-Delhi patients have low platelet count because they don’t have facilities for transfusion," said Dr Rakesh Pandit of Aakash Healthcare.
Only about one-fourth testing positive
Although many are going to the hospitals complaining of fever, about 25 per cent of them have tested positive for dengue. Authorities are hopeful that the number of dengue cases will remain more or less the same as last year's