Another patient died of the dengue viral fever at a private hospital in Karachi on Thursday, raising the total number of patients losing their lives to dengue in the city to 12. However, the Sindh Dengue Surveillance Cell (SDSC) has failed to perform up to par as it has become a routine for the surveillance department to issue delayed dengue alerts while concealing the details of the dengue-positive people. SDSC Focal Person/Civil Hospital Karachi Medical Superintendent (General) Dr Shakeel Aamir Mullick said in a statement issued on Thursday that the 82-year-old male patient was admitted in a private hospital where he had expired on Wednesday.
On the issue of reporting the death of the dengue patient late, Mullick said the death was reported late because his department was investigating the cause of death.
He maintained that the surveillance department was unaware of the identity and address of the patient. “He was an elderly diabetic patient who was also was suffering from lung disease,” said Mullick. It is pertinent to mention here that after the epidemic crisis in Lahore, the Sindh government had issued strict directives for keeping round-the-clock check on Karachi’s dengue situation and report to the crisis cell officials. Despite the orders, however, the phones of the department are never attended and the focal person of the cell, Mullick, never talks to the media on his personal cell number. Sources said Mullick is not interested in the post and has several times requested the provincial government to transfer him.
