Patna, Nov. 15: The high court today directed the state government to take steps within two weeks to control “encephalitis”, which has so far caused death of 81 children in Magadh Medical College and Hospital in Gaya.

A division bench comprising Justice T. Meena Kumari and Justice Vikash Jain passed the direction on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by social activist Dhirendra Kumar seeking directions to the state government to take preventive measures to control deaths caused by suspected encephalitis. Dhirendra also requested the court to remove encroachments from Lady Elgin Hospital, Gaya and District Leprosy Hospital, Gaya.

The court also directed that either the state chief secretary or the health department secretary should file a counter affidavit in response to the PIL as to what steps the government has taken to check the spread of encephalitis. The matter would be heard after two weeks. Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Sunil Kumar submitted that there is neither proper medicines nor doctors available in the medical college and hospital. The posts of professors and associate professors in the medicine department have been vacant for the past two years.

Kumar said the primary responsibility of taking preventive measures to check the spread of the disease rests with the civil surgeon, whose duty is to ensure fogging and immunisation from time to time to prevent the disease from spreading but the Gaya civil surgeon did not take any step in this regard.

The petitioner also raised the issue of the involvement of the civil surgeon in effecting 700 transfers of employees at one go. Even the regional deputy director of the health department, in his investigation report, found that the civil surgeon transferred all these employees by taking money, the petitioner said.