Dengue continued to consume lives in Bengal killing seven people in the past five days taking the total official toll to over 41 — while unofficial sources said the figure could have gone far beyond hundred if deaths by “unknown fever” were taken into account. Sources also said the Union Health Minister JP Nadda had asked for reports on dengue deaths in the State.
This, even as a section of doctors in the State decided to hit the streets against the Government’s pressure to suppress real figures and let the genuine cases of dengue deaths to silently pass off as deaths by “unknown fever.”
Said a senior doctor, working with the State Health Department, “enough is enough. We have no other way, but to resist the intense pressure put on us by the Government to fudge figures on dengue deaths. Government pressure apart doctors also have a social duty. We cannot be dishonest any more or else the situation will go completely out of control.”
Contradicting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s statement that only around 35 deaths had been reported thus far Dr Goutam Mukherjee of Association of health Services said “there have been at least 200-300 deaths due to fever. Have the remaining mortalities been examined properlyIJ Has proper investigation been doneIJ Then the Government must spell out what is the cause of the death of t he residual people who have died due to feverIJ”
The association along with some others have decided to call a convention on dengue deaths or death by “unknown fever” as the Trinamool Congress allegedly want the Government doctors to write.
While the Government backed association of doctors looked listless several organizations of doctors said they would descend on the streets against Government apathy on Monday. State Director of Health DR Satpathy refused comments on the issue but said the Government was doing all it could to contain dengue cases adding what Chief Minister said on Thursday, “there are some people who are spreading rumors also.”
He could not however explain the long queues in front of Government hospitals where thousands of patients referred by the rural health units lined up for treatment. While Government claimed only 41 deaths had taken place in the State lM Khanam the Panchayat president of De Ganga block in North 24 Parganas said “only our block has reported 150 deaths and more than 1500 infections in the past one month,” conceding the doctors were not writing “dengue death” on the certificates because the Trinamool Congress cadre would not let them do so.
The local Block Medical Officer (BMOH) said the rural hospital was treating more than 1400 patients every day.
Meanwhile, State Minister Partho Chatterjee attacked Union Health Minister Nadda saying some parties and even the Centre was trying to play politicos over the deaths. Nadda had asked the Health Secretary to file an appraisal report on the dengue deaths, sources said.