Health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak visits the dengue ward at SCB hospital in Cuttack on Tuesday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Sept. 2: The SCB Medical College and Hospital here will provide more beds to dengue patients as the state government is worried with an increasing number of cases being reported from the industrial belts of Jajpur and Keonjhar.

Health and family welfare minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak today reviewed the arrangements at SCB’s dengue ward, which is the nodal centre for treatment of the vector-borne disease.

At present, 192 patients are being treated at the ward that has been set up in the new medicine department. An SCB official said four patients were in the ICU and the condition of one was critical.

“Over the past three months, 572 dengue positive patients from various parts of the state have been admitted to the dengue ward at SCB. The maximum cases have been reported from Jajpur district,” Nayak said.

He said 640 dengue cases had been reported from various parts of the state, while one person from Jagatsinghpur had died of dengue this year.

Besides, there are plans to convert a few examination halls at SCB into dengue wards, and the state government has made provision for free treatment of dengue patients at the hospital, Nayak said.

“At present, there are 123 beds at the special dengue ward. There has been a rise in the number of dengue cases, especially from Jajpur and Keonjhar districts, in the past 10 days,” said SCB emergency medical officer B.N. Moharana.

Moharana said that nearly 2,445 blood samples from various parts of the state had been tested at the microbiology department and 548 samples were tested positive.

Of the total dengue positive cases admitted at SCB, 219 patients are from Jajpur district, 45 from Keonjhar and 40 from Cuttack district.

Dengue cases are also being reported from Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Dhenkanal districts. Last year, over 1,400 cases were reported from Cuttack district alone.

A team of doctors from various departments and over 40 paramedical employees have been engaged to treat the dengue patients at SCB.

“We will shortly review the arrangements at the dengue ward, while plans will also be made to increase the number of beds at the ward after monitoring the situation and the number of cases from various parts of the state,” Moharana said.