Delhi facing crisis, stop scoring petty points
The coming to an end of the blame-game over the handling of vector-borne diseases like chikungunya and dengue in Delhi will hopefully streamline and fast-forward the treatment of patients. A united war launched by the Delhi Government in complete cooperation of the Centre and the lieutenant Governor (lG) of Delhi will relieve victims and ordinary citizens of the capital and adjoining areas of the city. Though a seemingly long tug-of-war between the lG and the Arvind Kejriwal Government has shifted the focus from the increasing health menace, yet the current change in attitude among the top political functionaries can be regarded as a positive signal at least for the sake of fighting the dreaded mosquitoes. It is good that instead of the earlier passing-the-buck, authorities have begun taking the much-needed action. Indeed, it is the city’s municipal corporations that must ensure that the primary healthcare facilities are made readily available for immediate treatment of chikungunya virus (CHIKV). With more than 10 deaths and over 1000 people reportedly suffering from the vector-borne disease, the municipal corporations alongside the Delhi Government must see to it that the problem does not spread further.
It is disheartening to learn that the Delhi Government-run hospitals are not equipped with the critical ‘reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) facilities for testing, which can help measure the viral load in serum samples of the patients. Thus, the RT-PCR can be used further as a tool for faster detection of the CHIKV and monitoring the spread of the replication of the virus in other vulnerable targets. As CHIKV is a mosquito-transmitted alpha virus caused mainly by the Aedes aegypti, the special fogging programmes rolled out by the municipal corporations in each ward of the city will be of great help for preventing the menace. Advisories issued to the city schools for instructing children to wear full-sleeves may lessen the number of cases among them as they are more vulnerable to such diseases than the elders.
It is not that the CHIKV terror has come to the city for the first time. Basic healthcare facilities in city hospitals, particularly at the public hospitals since they are frequented by the most needy, should have been already upgraded to tackle the same. Why is there such continued apathy towards the maintenance of the city and the public health facilitiesIJ Why do we complain and act only when an emergency situation strikes usIJ The Government should not neglect public hospitals in the hope that private ones will do the needful. Meanwhile, people must be made more aware about the symptoms of these diseases, and they must demand better facilities at local health centres which they can approach immediately. Thus, both awareness and adequate healthcare must come together in the capital city first.