Dengue cases on the rise in DK

Mangaluru: Dengue cases have crippled villages in Sullia, Puttur and Bantwal taluks in Dakshina Kannada district.
The district has recorded 225 cases of dengue in 2016 with 92 cases in June alone. While 200 cases of dengue were reported in government hospitals, 25 are from private hospitals.
While a total of 52 cases of dengue were reported in the district upto May 31 in 2015, the number of cases this year for the corresponding period is 133.As many as four people with symptoms of dengue have died this year.
More cases of suspected dengue are being reported in Puttur taluk in the district. While Puttur taluk hospital receives an average of 400 outpatients, nearly 150 patients were admitted in the hospital with fever.
While the hospital has treated 76 patients with the symptoms of dengue, 17 cases have been confirmed as dengue. At present, 11 patients with dengue are undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Taluk hospitals of Bantwal and Sullia too has been witnessing an increase in number of suspected dengue cases. While the new buildings of Bantwal and Sullia taluk hospitals have provisions for 100 beds each, authorities are able to admit only 50 patients due to the lack of infrastructure. Shortage of staff in taluk hospitals of Sullia, Puttur and Bantwal is worsening the situation.
The department of health and family welfare is tackling the crisis of doctors' shortage by roping in private medical colleges. However, lack of D group employees is making the task of authorities in keeping the taluk hospitals clean, difficult.
For instance, while the sanctioned post of D group employees in Puttur taluk hospital is 41, only three are appointed. Similarly, Bantwal taluk hospital has a sanctioned post of 32 group D employees, but only four are working at present.
Lack of lab and other equipment is adding to the burden in these rural hospitals.
Puttur taluk hospital administrative medical officer Pradeep Kumar told STOI that a surge in vector borne diseases including dengue cases is due to increased breeding of mosquitos in arecanut and coconut farms.
"Water gets stagnated in abandoned arecanut sheaths and coconut shells in farms. This leads to breeding of mosquitoes, but people lack sufficient awareness. We do not face shortage of medicines, but posts of three doctors are vacant. In the meantime, we also have to send two specialists to Kadaba Community Health Centre (CHC), where at present only one doctor is posted for the centre records an average of 400 outpatients a day. On an average, we get around 50 cases that are referred from Kadaba CHC," Dr Pradeep said.
Bantwal taluk hospital administrative medical officer K Radhika said the hospital has 11 sanctioned posts of doctors, but only seven are filled.
"We have sent requests to the department seeking appointment of doctors and other staff. We also lack several other infrastructure and equipment here," Dr Radhika added.
"Private medical colleges have been sending doctors to government hospitals to solve the crisis.
To solve the problem of shortage of Group D employees, we have decided to outsource the work. Soon, contracts will be given to fill vacancies of Group D employees in government hospitals," said Dr Sikandar Pasha, DHO, Dakshina Kannada.