The Gelegphu Central Regional Referral hospital has run out test kits to diagnose dengue fever since July 26.
Although the hospital did not receive any indigenous dengue cases, the hospital has so far received 15 imported dengue fever cases from other Dzongkhads like Phuentshogling and Samdrup Jongkhar.
The Central Regional Referral hospital started referring patients with symptoms of dengue fever to a private diagnostic clinic for the test. They have to pay Nu 500 for the test, which patients say is expensive.
People are blaming the concerned agency for not keeping the drugs in the hospital for emergency use.
“I was asked to undergo test for Dengue and typhoid. Last time they could not diagnose the disease and so i was told to do a re-test,” said Ram Badhur Rai, a local resident.
“They told us to go to the clinic saying that there are two private diagnostic centre. So I came here for the test,” another resident Phuentsho said.
The hospital’s medical store in-charge said requisition of Dengue fever medical testing kit has been put up to the Health Care and Diagnostic Division. The in-charge said they are presently mobilizing the kits from Yabilaptsa and Tsirang hospitals for emergency use. He said they are expecting the medical testing kit to arrive this month.
“Every year we request not more than 40 kits. If doctor prescribed every patient, kits finishes within no time,” said the senior Pharmacy Technician of the Gelegphu hospital, Tek Badhur Chhetri. “So in that case, some of the patients are advised to get the test privately done but for admitted patients, inpatients we are not asking them to go privately because we have some stock in our store,” he added.
Following the dengue fever outbreak in other three southern districts last month, Gelegphu hospital adopted control measures by making the automobile workshops, scrap dealers, hydro power project store and transits camp to clear away rotting garbage, stagnant water pools and other potential mosquito breeding grounds.
“When I say vector surveillance, the mosquito that spread dengue fever resides mostly indoors. People keep indoor flowers and do not bother to change the water,” the malaria in-charge Gyem Gyeltshen.
Dengue is a mosquito borne viral illness and it is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Meanwhile, doctors advise people to avoid mosquito bites by ensuring no stagnation of water in the containers or water bodies in an around the house.
