22 September,2011 08:23 AM IST | | Astha Saxena
Number of cases of dengue, malaria and chikungunya reported by private hospitals suggests so
Although the number of cases of dengue reported this year is not that alarming as compared to last year, but the figures provided by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) do raise a few questions. This year, MCD has also included private hospitals while preparing the list of dengue patients, in contrast to previous years when only government institutes were a part of the report.
Smokescreen! MCD workers fogging to stop mosquito breeding.
According to MCD, 163 cases of dengue, 160 of malaria and four cases of chikungunya have been reported till date. However, private hospitals have a different story to tell.
As per the data provided by Max Healthcare, 145 dengue patients have been admitted to the hospital since January, and 101 others came to the hospital, got diagnosed with the disease and left without treatment. Moolchand Hospital has received 25 dengue cases from August till date. Looking at figures provided by the civic agency, one can find huge discrepancies when comparing the same with data from private hospitals. And there are numerous other government and non-descript private hospitals in the city. The civic agency has reported 800 cases of malaria from Delhi and NCR region. Whereas, Max Healthcare alone received 104 such cases.
Vital stats
"We have reported the right number of patients. We ask hospitals to give us the correct list. We want details to be reported so that we can take necessary action as soon as possible. We are not suppressing the numbers," said Dr V K Monga, chairman, health committee, MCD.
According to doctors, the number of patients coming for malaria and chikungunya is as alarming as the number of dengue cases. "This time malaria is on the rise. The number of patients diagnosed with Malaria has been higher as compared to dengue cases. The rise in number of chikungunya and typhoid is also worrying us," said Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, head of department, internal medicine, Max Healthcare.
