255 wards and 1091 beds reserved for dengue patients
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
Haryana Health Minister Aarti Singh Rao said that free platelets (single donor platelets) are available to the people of Haryana at government hospitals. If needed, the government will also arrange platelets from private blood banks. She assured that the dengue situation in the state is under control and that the government is continuously monitoring it.
Speaking to the media at her official residence in Chandigarh today, the Health Minister shared that so far, 65,707 samples have been collected for dengue testing across the state, with 1,041 confirmed cases. No deaths have been reported due to dengue. Testing is being conducted regularly, and is free at government hospitals, while private hospitals have a nominal fee of Rs 600. Blood sampling has also been at the block level (CHC/PHC), with 27 testing laboratories currently operational. To handle any surge in cases, 255 wards and 1,091 beds have been reserved for dengue patients in government hospitals.
In light of the dengue outbreak season, the Health Department has surveyed 3.17 crore homes, discovering dengue larvae in 1.73 lakh of them, which were immediately eliminated. Notices have been issued to 87,143 homes where larvae were repeatedly found. Fogging operations have been conducted at 7,874 locations across the state to curb the spread of dengue. Responsibilities have been assigned to all departments through meetings at the state, district, and local levels, with municipal and panchayat departments actively monitoring fogging activities.
Rao also appealed to the public to avoid water stagnation and keep coolers, tanks, and containers clean. She urged anyone experiencing symptoms of fever or dengue to consult a doctor immediately and avoid self-medication. Health Minister said that the government will soon purchase 28 Mobile Food Safety Testing Vans to closely monitor and prevent the sale of fake food items in the 14 Haryana districts that are part of the National Capital Region (NCR).
Rao stated that in view of the festive season, the state government has intensified its campaign against food adulteration. Food safety inspections are being conducted across the state, and 3,682 food samples have been collected since October 2024. Of these, 606 samples failed quality checks. Legal action has been initiated, with cases filed in the court of the ADC-cum-Adjudicating Officer, and fines amounting to Rs over 1.10 crore have been imposed on violators.
She added that Food Safety Officers have been directed to prevent the inflow of adulterated food items from neighboring states. Two food testing laboratories are currently operational, with a guaranteed reporting time of 14 days. While acknowledging the current limitation in lab capacity, the Minister said that steps are being taken to expand infrastructure. A proposal has been submitted to the central government requesting the establishment of five FSSAI-approved labs and three NCRPB labs in Haryana.
Providing further updates, the Minister informed that during the recently concluded Seva Pakhwada (September 17 to October 2), the Health Department organized 28,000 health camps, screening approximately 28 lakh people. In addition, around 127,000 people were screened at private hospitals and institutions.
Responding to another question, the Health Minister informed that the department has set rates for the purchase of 241 items, including medicines and consumables, which will cost Rs 419 crore. Contracts worth Rs 134 crore have also been signed for the purchase of 28 types of medical equipment.
From October 2024 to the present, the department has issued 590 online purchase orders valued at Rs 103 crore for life-saving medicines, antibiotics, and injections. Additionally, purchase orders worth Rs 56 crore have been issued for medical equipment.
The Minister further said that CT scan machines will soon be installed in Bahadurgarh, Charkhi Dadri, Narnaul, and Fatehabad under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Similarly, MRI machines will be installed in Kurukshetra, Panipat, Narnaul, Fatehabad, Bahadurgarh, Palwal, Yamunanagar, Sonipat, Sirsa, and Kaithal under the same model.
The department has also placed orders for 14 new X-ray machines, and an additional 74 will be purchased soon.