Dengue control is not the task of Health Ministry
Staff Reporter :
The health ministry’s major task is to provide medical care, but not job to control dengue, Health Minister said.
Meanwhile, nine more deaths were recorded from dengue in 24 hours till Sunday morning, raising the fatalities to 185 in the country so far in this year.
“It is not the job of the Ministry of Health to control dengue.
The health ministry’s major task is to provide proper medical care to patients. Apart from it, the ministry’s other job is to provide information among the people,” Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque told reporters after the orientation program of MBBS K-80 batch of Dhaka Medical College on Monday afternoon.
People can have fever due to various reasons, he said adding that in case of fever the patient should be tested quickly.
“The government has reduced the dengue test fee to Tk 50 in public hospitals.
We are observing the numbers of dengue patients are increasing. Along with dengue patients in Dhaka city, the number of dengue patients is increasing across the country. Our main point is to reduce dengue mosquitoes and then the number of dengue patients will decrease,” the Health Minister said.
Zahid Maleque said, “Not only during the monsoon season, the mosquito killing work in Dhaka City Corporations and other municipalities should be done throughout the year in order to keep dengue under control.”
However, there have been a total of 2,293 newly affected dengue cases across the country including Dhaka City Corporations in the last 24 hours, according to Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) statement issued on Monday.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 35,270 dengue cases, 27,662 recoveries since January 1 till the date this year.
According to DGHS, a total of 7,463 dengue patients are admitted across the country including 4,395 patients in Dhaka city.
The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019.
Earlier on Sunday, Director of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Habibul Ahsan Talukder (Hospitals & Clinics) said that most of the dengue patients in the capital Dhaka are admitted to hospitals from the city’s 11 areas considering as infection hotspots.
Of the areas, six are under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and five under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC). Jatrabari, Mugda, Kadmatoli, Jurain, Dhanmondi and Basabo are the places where more dengue patients are coming from DSCC, while Uttara, Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Tejgaon and Badda are from DNCC, he said.
