Significant drop in dengue cases this year: Arti Rao

Replying to a calling attention motion by Indian National Lok Dal’s Arjun Chautala on the third day of the Vidhan Sabha session here today, Health Minister Arti Singh Rao said it was mandatory for all hospitals to provide accurate data on dengue cases, and any negligence could invite jail.

She said the Health Department had been conducting fogging to control the spread of dengue.

Stating that there had been a significant reduction in dengue cases in the state as compared to last year, she said the number of cases had come down from 8,081 in 2023 to 4,634 this year.

The minister said the Health Department had sent a demi-official letter to the Urban Local Bodies Minister and the Development and Panchayat Minister on November 8 to intensify fogging under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner concerned, which had been done.

In response to a question about recruitment, she said the state was likely to get 777 new doctors following an examination on December 1, to be conducted by the PGI.

Chautala had said private hospitals might not be providing correct data to the government since he knew of an 11-year-old girl, daughter of his employee, who had died due to dengue in Sirsa.

The minister insisted that the government had access to cases even in private hospitals.