The number of dengue patients in Barbil town has reached 1,281 so far as per reports of the State Health Department. While there is shortage of doctors in the Barbil hospital, the Health Department has failed to provide proper facilities to the patients.
Dengue has broken out in the Barbil Municipality in the last two months and has been a matter of concern for the authorities. While initially only about 122 patients were detected with dengue fever, due to lack of proper treatment and prevention measures, more and more dengue patients are detected every week.
According to statistics, 6,311 blood samples have been tested so far out of which 1,186 were found dengue positive. The district administration and the Health Department have resorted to temporary measures like awareness rally and checking of blood samples by mobile health team for a few days. But dengue has spread in the other areas of the district too. Dengue patients have been identified in Balaguda, Bolani, Bhadrasahi, Rugudi, Tanto and other parts of the district too.
Many Public Health Centers (PHCs) in rural areas of the district lack doctors besides lab testing facilities for the decease. Meanwhile, it is alleged that the Health Department has begun to avoid reporting the actual number of patients and bring the disease under control officially.
The District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) is overcrowded, while the patients are left to lie on the corridors of wards. The climatic and geographical condition of Keonjhar district is favorable for breeding of mosquitoes for which malaria and dengue can become epidemic in the district. When there is enough fund, why a permanent solution should not be made to combat the problem, the Kendujhar Progressive Citizens Forum asked.