Thursday, January 31, 2008 Agency asks LGUs to punish those who don’t clean up surroundings
WITH dengue causing the death of 148 people in Central Visayas in 2007 alone, the Department of Health (DOH) 7 is proposing to local government units (LGUs) to legislate dengue prevention measures.
Regional health officials specifically urged LGUs to penalize constituents who refuse to clean their surroundings and eliminate breeding sites of dengue-carrying mosquitoes in their homes.
Dr. Susanna Madarieta, DOH regional director, said the LGUs can learn from the experience of Singapore, which was able to drastically reduce the number of dengue cases after it fined residents who did not cooperate in the cleanliness campaign of the government.
Calls for legislation were made as DOH is preparing to launch an intensified all-year round campaign against dengue.
“I will go for legislation. The LGUs have already created an awareness campaign on dengue... so maybe they can legislate this so that any person who does not comply with their program should be liable to pay a fine or do community work,” said Dr. Jocelyn Abellana, head of the communicable diseases division of the DOH 7.
The Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (Resu) of the DOH 7 recorded a total of 6,640 dengue fever cases from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2007. Of the number, 148 resulted in death.
Central Visayas ranked first among all the regions in the number of deaths, and third in terms of number of cases.
Cebu City ranked first among the cities in the region, with 1,667 cases and 57 deaths. Tagbilaran City ranked second with 457 cases and seven deaths and Mandaue City followed with 355 cases and 14 deaths.
Madarieta said, however, that based on the trend on dengue cases, they expect to have fewer cases in 2008. She explained that 2007 saw the highest number of cases in the last three years and according to the cycle, the cases drop after the third year.
At the Cebu City Hall yesterday, a couple sought the help of Councilor Gerardo Carillo to sue two doctors and a private hospital in Cebu City for misdiagnosing their seven-year-old child.
Stanley Shanz Gulfan, 7, was initially diagnosed to have gasthritis last Dec. 10 but died three days later due to dengue.
Spouses Jose and Jean Gulfan file complaints of medical malpractice and criminal negligence against their son’s doctor before the Office of the Cebu City Prosecutor last Jan. 24.
Carillo said they are preparing to file a similar complaint against the second doctor who attended to the couple’s son, as well as a complaint for violation of Republic Act 8344 or the “Act prohibiting the demand of deposits or advance payment for the confinement of treatment of patients in hospitals and clinics.”
Sun.Star Cebu is withholding the names of the doctors and the hospital pending their comment on the complaint.
The couple alleged that aside from the misdiagnosis, the doctors also refused to treat their son without an official receipt showing they paid a deposit.
Jose further alleged that his son was wheeled in to the intensive care unit only after he stopped breathing and only after he was able to show the receipt for his down payment.
Carillo said they will investigate the incident and will assist the Gulfan couple in any way they can. (LCR)
