Quezon City asks hospitals: Do system checks to prevent dengue deaths

MANILA, PHilippines - The Quezon City health department is urging public and private hospitals in the city to examine their existing systems and policies in admitting dengue patients to prevent increases in dengue deaths.

To date, the city has reported 57 dengue deaths from January to Aug. 31 this year compared to 31 cases during the same period in 2008.

City health department head Dr. Antonieta Inumerable, in a report to Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., said that the figure is alarming particularly in view of complaints that the deaths happened due to lapses of hospitals and their personnel in handling dengue patients.

Inumerable said a careful scrutiny on the systems and policies of hospitals and their personnel in handling dengue cases is imperative to evaluate their capability in dealing with the disease.

She said the city health department had written the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, which reported 24 dengue deaths, and the East Avenue Medical Center, which reported 10 dengue deaths, to explain the reason behind the increasing death rate.

“We need to clarify if hospitals are not ready to handle dengue cases or something is lacking in their system or service,” Inumerable said.

Other hospitals that have reported dengue deaths are the National Children’s Hospital with four, Quirino Memorial Medical Center (four), and FEU (three).

Based on reports that reached city health department, relatives of dead dengue patients said hospitals and their personnel failed to properly diagnose and distinguish an ordinary fever from dengue.

The victims’ families claimed that some hospitals, after diagnosing patients with fever and telling them to take paracetamol, would usually advise them to go home.

Inumerable said despite the fact that the city is now almost halfway to becoming a dengue-free city with a 45-percent decrease in dengue cases – a total of 1,003 cases reported from Jan. to Aug. 15 this year compared to 1,842 during the same period last year – the growing number of dengue deaths is alarming.

Due to this, she called on city residents to join the continuing citywide cleanup drive by cleaning their surroundings regularly.