Thanking Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda for sending a team from the Centre to take stock of the dengue situation in the State, DMK working president and Leader of the Opposition M.K. Stalin, in a letter, however, said the style of functioning of the team was far from satisfactory.
On the reported remarks by one of the members, Ashutosh Biswas, professor of medicine at the AIIMS, that nothing was in the hands of the government when it came to controlling dengue and that the death of 40 people was nothing compared to the 12,000 people affected by the disease, Mr. Stalin said it was “appalling and unconscionable” that a medical doctor had abdicated “the responsibility of an elected government towards the citizens of the State.
“Making such perverse statements during a press interview is not only an insult to those who lost their lives due to the infection but also to all the people of Tamil Nadu,” the letter said.
Mr. Stalin has called for the withdrawal of Dr. Biswas from the team “in light of his grossly unprofessional and inconsiderate conduct.”
Puducherry-bound
The team, deputed by the Centre to visit Tamil Nadu in the wake of the rising number of dengue cases in the State, on Saturday visited the Medavakkam Primary Health Centre, two villages and a private hospital, besides the Chengalpattu government medical college. It will be leaving for Puducherry later. A few members of the team, who had gone to Salem, will join the rest in Puducherry, and the team will be back in the city on Monday, said Director of Public Health K. Kolandaisamy.
While all guidelines were being followed with regard to Aedes control, eradication of potential breeding sources needed to be intensified, he said. He stressed the importance of residents taking action to ensure that their water was covered safely and that containers and scrap were disposed of.
On the upsurge in dengue cases, he said one of the reasons could be the drought, followed by the rain, leading to phenomenal breeding. The rain pattern was also a factor he said, as was the availability of breeding sources.