Karnataka CM directs officials to take dengue detection and treatment seriously
Bengaluru, Jun 25: With dengue cases being reported in the state, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday directed officials to take seriously the detection and treatment of the viral infection.
The chief minister who had convened a meeting with Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and senior officers also instructed them to ensure availability of treatment, medicine and platelets.
According to the chief minister's office, a total of 5,374 cases and five deaths have been reported in the state till yesterday.
The Government of India guidelines state that the dengue case fatality rate should not exceed 0.5 per cent. The case fatality rate in the state is 0.09 per cent, which is far less than the prescribed limit, it said.
ALSO READ: CM Siddaramaiah says hike in milk prices is proportionate to increase in volume per packet
More cases have been reported from Bengaluru, Chikkamagaluru, Mysuru, Haveri, Shivamogga, Chitradurga, Dakshina Kannada districts. As many as 1,230 cases have been reported in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits.
Siddaramaiah said the government has taken this very seriously and has directed the officers to take all measures to control the disease.
He directed officers to ensure availability of all necessary treatment facilities and medicines in all government hospitals.
He also told them to conduct door-to-door surveys and create awareness among the public, and also to rope in ASHA workers, nursing students, NSS students and other volunteers for this purpose.
At the meeting it was decided that a special mission will be held to take up intense source reduction activity every Friday.
Siddaramaiah instructed the BBMP, Urban Development Department and Health Department officers to jointly review the dengue situation in the state, and also instructed Urban local bodies to take necessary steps for sanitation and avoid accumulation of water.
He appealed to the public to cooperate with the authorities to control the disease by destroying the 'Aedes aegypti' larvae that can spread dengue at the source.
Participated in a meeting today held under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Siddaramaiah to review and control the spread of #dengue in the state.
— Dinesh Gundu Rao/ದಿನೇಶ್ ಗುಂಡೂರಾವ್ (@dineshgrao) June 25, 2024
A total of 5374 cases have been reported in the state till yesterday and 5 deaths have occurred. It was found the… pic.twitter.com/CC9oqthqz4
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Woman in labour dies while being transported in ambulance lacking oxygen support
Palghar (PTI): A 26-year-old pregnant woman from Maharashtra's Palghar district died while being taken to hospital in an ambulance which was not equipped with oxygen and other necessary facilities, authorities said on Wednesday.
Palghar's Civil Surgeon Dr Ramdas Marad said the health department has repeatedly raised concerns with authorities about the lack of specialised ambulances in the region.
The woman, who was in labour pain, was brought to a rural hospital here in a critical state on Tuesday evening.
"If she had come earlier, we could have saved her," the health official said.
Palghar Lok Sabha member Dr Hemant Savara said the health department should take necessary action into the matter and ambulance services should have adequate facilities.
Pinki Dongarkar, resident of Sarni village, went into labour on Tuesday evening.
Her family immediately rushed her to Kasa rural hospital, but due to the critical nature of her condition, the staff there referred her to neighbouring Silvassa city (in the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu) for further medical attention.
However, despite frantic attempts by her family to secure an ambulance equipped with oxygen and necessary medical facilities through the '108' emergency service, their requests went unanswered, a health official said.
They were eventually provided with a regular ambulance by the Kasa rural hospital.
While en route to Silvassa, the woman succumbed to complications and the foetus also did not survive, health officials confirmed.
Dr Marad said the woman was brought to the Kasa rural hospital in a critical state.
According to him, the woman suffered from a condition called Intrauterine Fetal Death (IUFD), where the foetus died in the womb. The exact time of the foetal death could not be determined.
Upon arrival at the hospital, the woman was semi-conscious and showed signs of severe infection.
On issues with the 108 emergency ambulance services, which are privately operated, Dr Marad said the ambulance might have been unavailable due to high demand.
The health department has repeatedly raised concerns with authorities about the lack of specialised ambulances in the region, he said.
Talking to PTI, Palghar BJP MP Savara said, "This is a very sad incident. The health department should take necessary action in this connection. Also, such an incident should not happen in future for this reason."
"The ambulance services should have adequate oxygen and cardiac support facilities. Also, a doctor is required to accompany the patient. I will follow it up with the government," he said.
CPI (M) leader Vinod Nikole, the newly-elected assembly member from Dahanu in Palghar, said he had raised the issue in the House during his last term, but no action was taken.
He criticised the government over "indifference" towards improving healthcare facilities, particularly in tribal areas, and accused the state of prioritising other programmes, such as the Ladki Bahin Yojana, over the urgent needs of healthcare in rural regions.
