Even as the Capital City of Bhubaneswar is facing the twin trouble of Covid-19 and dengue, a top health official of the Odisha government on Monday asserted that there is no shortage of beds for treatment of patients of the vector-borne disease.
“As the admission of Covid-19 patients has decreased, wards are lying vacant in the hospital. There is no dearth of beds and we can admit more than 100 dengue patients. We have not refused admission to any patient so far,” said Laxmidhar Sahoo, Director of Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar.
“Yesterday, we tested 87 persons who had fever and results of 54 among them came positive. By yesterday evening, 56 patients were admitted to the hospital. Every day, 10 to 15 new patients are being admitted while equal number of patients are being discharged. Neither all the dengue patients are serious, nor do they need hospitalisation. They can be treated at home,” Sahoo added.
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Meanwhile, the State unit of the Congress party today launched a drive to control the spread of dengue in Bhubaneswar. Party members sprayed mosquito repellent spray, bleaching power and cleaned drains in different wards in the city.
The party members alleged that though dengue is spreading tentacles in the city, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is doing nothing apart from awareness campaigns.
“Amid the menace of rain, Covid-19 and dengue, the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar does not have bed for patients. No steps are being taken by the BMC and State government to control mosquitoes in the city. Therefore, we have started the drive under the aegis of Bhubaneswar district Congress Committee from today. We visited different wards with medicines, phenyl, bleaching power and sensitised the residents,” alleged Congress MLA from Jatani, Suresh Routray.
“We heard that the BMC is running awareness campaign over dengue as if the residents of Bhubaneswar do not know anything about it. Will it help prevent the spread of dengue,” questioned Biswajit Das, president of Bhubaneswar district Congress adding that “We will do whatever we can to help people.”