DSCC accuses DGHS of providing wrong info on dengue

The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has alleged that the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) is providing wrong information on the number of dengue patients and subsequent casualties. The DSCC sent a letter to the director general of the DGHS in this regard on 26 May.

The letter was signed by DSCC chief executive officer (CEO) Md Mizanur Rahman. It reads that patients from across the country come to the hospitals in areas under the jurisdiction of the DSCC. Many of them die while undergoing treatment. In most cases, patients use the address of their relatives living in Dhaka. These patients are being grossly regarded as patients from Dhaka south city which is tarnishing the image of the DSCC.

The letter further reads the corporation intensifies mosquito eradication programmes within 300 yards of the house of any patient based on the information provided by the DGHS control room. At the same time, the DSCC also conducts combing operations in that area.

However, the corporation has found several inconsistencies while analysing the list from the DGHS control room. Therefore, the field level workers of the corporation are facing embarrassing situations after reaching the addresses given by the DGHS, which is greatly hampering their normal work.

In this context, the DSCC requested the DGHS to provide right and detailed information regarding the dengue patients in areas under the DSCC in their daily bulletin as well as the list they send to the city corporations.

Prothom Alo contacted DSCC CEO Mizanur Rahman to learn the response from the DGHS on Tuesday afternoon, but he didn’t receive the call. This correspondent tried him later in the evening too. But there was no response.

DGHS director general Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam didn’t receive any call either. He also didn’t even reply to text messages from this correspondent.