Another four people fell prey to the dengue virus in Lahore on Sunday, as Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered the immediate recruitment of 1,000 nurses to cater to the increasing number of patients at hospitals across the province.
Per details, two dengue patients passed away due to low platelet count at Mayo Hospital. Usman, 19, of Baghbanpura and Bashir, 50, died after their platelets fell below the required number. Khalida of Daroghawala and Abida Asif, 37 of Walton also lost their life to the virus. The total death toll in provincial metropolis has climbed to 44.
Dengue inspection teams raided various laboratories and hospitals across the city that were overcharging people for blood tests, despite the government setting a price ceiling for blood test at Rs 90. Around 60 private laboratories and pharmacies were sealed for failure to comply with the instructions of the provincial government.
A dengue inspection team headed by Khawaja Saad Rafique also inspected various private hospitals, pharmacies and laboratories in Lahore to ascertain the dengue endemic situation. The team visited Adil Hospital, Rasheed Hospital and National Hospital in cantonment area and sealed the pharmacy and laboratory of Rasheed Hospital for overcharging.
Notices to keep business shut were also served on 850 car service stations across Lahore, as the CDGL went around implementing the imposition of Section 144 for a month to curb the spread of dengue virus. In Sialkot district, five people, including a woman, were tested positive for dengue. In Islamabad, four children were among 43 dengue patients admitted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has convened a national health conference for today (Monday) to discuss measures to check the outbreak of waterborne diseases in flood-hit areas, as well as the spread of dengue virus in settled areas.
Dengue claims four more lives in Lahore
