Source: Daily Star

Dengue Outbreak: Tk 50,000 spent per patientHealth Minister Zahid Maleque yesterday said the government has already spent Tk 400 crore for the treatment of dengue patients in public hospitals across the country.This expenditure translates to approximately Tk 50,000 per dengue patient, the minister said at a roundtable in Dhaka which discussed the ways to tackle the dengue crisis."Around 70 percent of the dengue patients receive treatment from public hospitals while the remaining 30 percent from private hospitals," the minister said, adding that the patients receive treatment at public hospitals free of cost.The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) organised the roundtable where high-ups from the development partners, UN agencies, two city corporations in Dhaka, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, and business organisations attended.Representatives from different local, private and government organisations at the roundtable highlighted that they have been doing their best to tackle the dengue outbreak.Prof Ahmedul Kabir, additional director general (Planning and Development) of the DGHS said, despite all the efforts, the mosquito menace has remained uncontrolled."I think mosquitoes are smarter than our people working at the local government organisations," he said, urging for an innovative approach to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.He termed the dengue outbreak as a public health failure which has put hospitals under strain.While presenting a keynote at the beginning of the event, Prof Nazmul Islam, director of Disease Control at the DGHS, said that the health directorate will start a serotype surveillance study shortly.He said, "Government organisations consistently face shortages in essential logistics, and there are ongoing efforts to bridge this gap. Without timely mosquito control and widespread community involvement, the prevention of dengue infections and fatalities will be challenging."Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh, said that they will provide USD 2.2 million to support Bangladesh in tackling this year's outbreak.The fund will be utilised for communication and community engagement, according to UNICEF officials.Dr Bardan Jung Rana, Country representative of the World Health Organisation said the dengue situation in the country has been under their radar since the massive outbreak in 2019.Determining the dengue situation as disastrous, Zannatul Bakiya Keka, senior staff correspondent at Channel I, held the authorities responsible for the failure to control the outbreak."Please, stop lying. Do your job to control dengue," she said.Md Anwar Hossain Hawlader, Secretary of the health services division, said, "This is not right that we have been idle."He said that the health ministry has been working to ensure treatment for the patients at the hospital."The shortage of medical equipment is not as severe as portrayed in the media," he said.In the concluding remark, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said that implementing a year-round mosquito control program is urgent.He also said that an inter-ministerial committee will also be formed soon for coordinating dengue prevention activities.