The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today claimed that dengue has become an "epidemic" in Punjab due to "abject failure" of the health department and asked the state government to take immediate steps to check the spread of the vector-borne disease.
SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said it was "shocking" that dengue was widespread in Patiala, the home district of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and state Health Minister Brahm Mohindra.
"Four deaths have been reported from Patiala alone but the Congress government has not woken up from its slumber and is not doing anything to control the situation," he said.
Cheema said it was unfortunate that patients were being "turned away" from government hospitals and "forced" to opt for "expensive" treatment in private hospitals and clinics.
The SAD leader asked Mohindra to take a stock of the situation and increase the number of beds alloted for dengue patients in all hospitals of the state.
Alleging that adequate measures were not taken to prevent the spread of dengue, he said, "Platelet transfusion facilities also need to be increased on an emergency basis.
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