It also asked the health secretary and the director general of the Directorate General of Health Services to ensure the presence of a physician not below the rank of assistant professor at all government and private hospitals round the clock to ensure highest treatment for dengue patients.
The HC bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Justice Md Shohrowardi directed for providing dengue detection kits at lower prices, ensuring additional beds for dengue patients at all hospitals and treatment of all who go to hospitals with dengue symptoms on humanitarian grounds.
During hearing, lawyer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Tawfiq Inam told the court that the city corporation has initiated a move to bring mosquito medicines from China. “Samples will arrive within one or two days and it’ll be possible to bring the medicines within 14 workdays once the result of the field test is available.”
Counsel of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Sayeed Ahmed said the government will bring the medicines and the city corporation will only spray those.
Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General Kazi Moinul Hasan said city corporations should bring the medicines.
Later, the court summoned the Local Government Division Secretary and wanted to know from him whether it is possible to bring the medicines under government arrangement.
As he said it will be difficult to bring medicines under government arrangement, the court asked the two city corporations to procure the medicines and directed the health and LGRD ministries to extend cooperation.
On July 30, the HC asked the government and Dhaka city corporations to inform it how long it will take to import effective insecticide to kill mosquitoes.
On July 25, the two Dhaka city corporations informed the High Court that they would launch a three-day anti-mosquito drive.
Later, the court fixed July 30 for the next hearing and sought details on steps taken by the authorities to prevent the mosquito menace.
Dengue cases are still surging across the country as 1,712 more people were hospitalised with the mosquito-borne virus in 24 hours till 8am on Thursday.
Of them, 1,150 dengue cases were reported in the capital alone, manifesting that the city is apparently in the grip of a serious outbreak of dengue fever. Three of these patients were suffering from dengue hemorrhagic or severe dengue.
On Wednesday, the number of dengue cases all over the country was 1,477, while 1,300 on Tuesday 1,096 on Monday, indicating a gradual rise in dengue infection, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Currently, 5,838 dengue patients are undergoing treatment at different hospitals across the country, it said.
From January 1 till the date, 19,517 dengue patients were admitted to hospitals while 13,661 of them released after treatment.