Dengue death toll reaches 16, official figure still five

With the death of a three-year-old due to Dengue on the night of 17 September, the number of fatalities has now reached 16.

However, the officially the figure of deaths still stands at five.

Once again, hospitals' apathy has come to light as Neha's distraught parents alleged that one government hospital and a private nursing home in south Delhi did not extend the required treatment. Neha died at the Saket City hospital.

As more than 2,000 dengue patients have been admitted, hospitals in Delhi are complaining of space crunch. Patients are struggling for beds even after hospitals have started emptying wards from other departments to accommodate dengue patients.

AIIMS has reportedly asked other departments to reserve at least two beds each for those suffering from dengue. Even critically-ill dengue patients are being treated in stretchers in corridors or even on the floors in some hospitals due to lack of beds.

The Delhi government has been constantly asking hospitals to open fever clinics to accommodate patients. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain has also directed private hospitals to increase their bed capacity by 10-20 per cent.