Delhi govt orders magisterial probe into death of 7-year-old by dengue

The boy was allegedly denied admission by five prominent private hospitals

The Delhi government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the death of seven-year-old Avinash Rout who was suffering from dengue and was allegedly denied admission by five hospitals.

"We have ordered magisterial enquiry to probe the whole incident. The area district magistrate has been asked to scan the CCTV footages from the cameras installed near the five hospitals to establish the sequence of the events," Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said.

Jain also said the DM has been asked to submit report as soon as possible.

Five hospitals, Moolchand, Max Saket, SaketCity hospital, Akash hospital and Irene hospital were issued showcase notices by Delhi government on Saturday and asked to explain why their registration should not be cancelled for their alleged refusal to admit Rout.

His parents, committed suicide by jumping from a four-storeyed building in South Delhi's Lado Sarai after he passed away on September 8. As per the August 28 advisory, issued by Delhi government's health department, no hospital, be it private or government, should deny admission to a patient suffering from dengue.

Also, with dengue cases assuming alarming proportions, the Delhi government has also ordered all government hospitals to open 'Fever Clinics' at their premises to detect the disease at the primary level.

As per the municipal corporation's fresh data released on Monday, 613 cases of dengue have been reported in the last one week and a total 1,872 patients have tested positive for the vector-borne disease till September 12.

The death toll as per the official data stands at 5, while as the per hospital's records, nine deaths have been reported across the city till date.