Rawalpindi-Thirty-eight new dengue patients have landed in three teaching hospitals of the city, informed sources yesterday.

The city district government and the district health departmental seem to have failed in taking concrete steps to overwhelm the breakout of dengue. The dengue wards of District Headquarters Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and Fauji Foundation Hospital are full of dengue patients who were brought from Model Town, Humak, Media Town, Adra, Adiala Road, Rukhshanda Masjid and other parts of city. The residents of the areas complained that district health departments did not launch fumigation campaign in these areas.

According to sources, as many as 38 new dengue cases were confirmed in DHQ, HFH and BBH. Of 38, 21 patients came from the federal capital.

Twelve patients came from urban areas of Rawalpindi, one from rural areas, two from Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, one from Azad Kashmir, and one from Karachi, they said.

The toll of confirmed patients reported in Rawalpindi in 2016 has risen to 2,205. Out of total cases, 803 patients came from Rawalpindi and other cities whereas 1,402 patients came from Islamabad, they added. Sources said 222 confirmed dengue patients were admitted at the Allied Hospitals. Out of the total admitted patients, 132 are present at HFH, 74 at BBH, and 16 at DHQ. Talking to The Nation, a doctor said the management of Allied Hospitals has set up special wards to accommodate as many as 300 dengue patients at one time. He said that the current influx of patients from Islamabad has forced the hospitals to set aside 15 beds in every ward for dengue patients. An official of district health department actively involved in anti-dengue campaign in Rawalpindi said that the health department has strength of some 7,000 people and all are actively involved in the campaign. He further said that the district administration has given additional staff of 3,000 people to the health department in its fight against dengue.

He said that the district government has already conveyed its concerns to Punjab government regarding the situation. He said that the hospitals in the capital send patients to Rawalpindi saying the hospitals in the garrison city are well equipped for dengue treatment.  The DCO and EDO (Health) were not available for their comments.