The government has so far spent Tk400 crore on dengue treatment this season, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said on Sunday.

The government is providing dengue treatment free of cost in government hospitals and spending an average of Tk50,000 per patient in the country, the minister disclosed at a discussion meeting on how to combat dengue at a city hotel in the capital this afternoon.

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Zahid Maleque said that 70 percent of the dengue patients have received treatment in the country's government hospitals. And the remaining 30 percent received treatment in private hospitals.

Generally, two types of dengue patients are treated in hospitals. Some of them require platelets and ICU service and some are cured only by taking medicine, he added.

Regarding the risk to women, the health minister said that though the women are affected less compared to last year but dying more.

"Women are dying more because they delay getting treatment. Maybe they are not being noticed. Of the total patients, 65 percent are male patients in the country," he said.

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Around 65 percent of total deaths from dengue this year are female patients, the health minister informed.

The minister also said that half of the dengue patients are outside Dhaka.

So far, the DGHS has recorded 1, 12,184 dengue cases this year, the highest ever.

Among others, Dr. Anwar Hossain Howlader, Secretary of the Health Services Department of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Khurshid Alam , director general of DGHS, Additional Director General Professor Dr. Ahmedul Kabir, were also present on the occasion.