Two more dengue patients died in Saidu Sharif Group of Hospitals (SSGH) on Sunday raising the death toll from dengue in Swat and Buner district to 11.
According to reports, 300 hospitalised dengue patients in the SSGH and other civil hospitals throughout the district are bed-ridden, whereas more than 7,000 dengue patients have been enrolled.
Hospitals in Swat do not have the capacity to admit the increasing number of patients, who are now either in their homes or approaching private doctors and clinics for treatment.
Many patients from well-off families have gone to government and private hospitals in Peshawar, Islamabad and Abbottabad for treatment.
Due to limited space in hospitals, the hospital doctors have advised many patients to stay home after providing them a prescription.
The people of Swat and Malakand have expressed concern over the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government’s ineffective role to counter the dengue outbreak.
According to reports, initially Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan and KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak had visited Swat or the inauguration of a health scheme in Bagh Dheri and along with the KP health minister had promised to utilise all available resources for controlling dengue.
“Now it seems that no one is bothered about the loss of lives from dengue,” the locals said.