Dengue: Kalubowila Hospital full up

By Carol Aloysius

A sharp surge of dengue patients at the Colombo South Teaching Hospital at Kalubowila, has left the authorities in a quandary with the question of where to accommodate this massive inflow pf patients arriving from all parts of the island.

Up to yesterday the hospital had treated over a thousand patients since January this year.

"The numbers have trebled those at the beginning of the year, the Hospital Director Dr Asela Gunewardene told the Sunday Observer .

"In January there were 372 patients. The numbers dropped to 215 and 152 in February and March respectively. In April it began to with 864 cases in May and 925 in June. This month up to July 3 we had 60 confirmed cases in our wards.

He said that around 150 patients or more were admitted daily to the wards.

"Each ward can accommodate between 45-50 patients and are now heavy congested. We have 3-4 persons sharing a bed, while some forced to sit on chairs. Our staff has to work double shifts as patients arrive at all times of the day and night. No patient is turned away. But the problem is finding beds to accommodate them," he lamented.

A Fever Corner has now been set up at the OPD which will screen patients seeking treatment to verify if they needed admission.