Dengue field hospital opened at Expo Centre

Punjab government has established a 280-bed dengue field hospital at Lahore Expo Centre following an increase in the number of patients.

Provincial Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid inaugurated the field hospital on Sunday. The facility will remain operational round the clock.

The minister highlighted on the occasion that the hospital was equipped with all necessary facilities, including doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, oxygen and medicines.

Punjab Health Department Consultant Dr Asad Aslam has been appointed as focal person of the field hospital, while doctors from the Mayo, General and Services Hospitals will perform duties in it.

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The minister underlined the need of providing correct information to the people about the dengue fever instead of creating panic. She denied reports of non-availability of beds in public hospitals for dengue patients and highlighted that the government was increasing the capacity in this regard. She said 1,209 beds had been allocated for dengue patients in the field hospital and other government facilities in the provincial capital.

She highlighted that the Complete Blood Count (CBC) test result will be provided in less than a minute in the field hospital. In case of a positive result, the patient will be admitted for treatment till a negative test report. Medicines, tests and medical care will be provided free of charge to all patients. In case of an emergency, Rescue 1122 will shift patients to the nearby government hospital, she added.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2021.