Cancer hospital a haven for dengue mossies
by Don Asoka Wijewardena
The National Dengue Control Unit will institute legal action against the Maharagama National Cancer Institute unless the hospital authorities take action to clean hospital premises, which have been infested with dengue mosquito larvae. Two weeks notices was issued by the Unit to clean the premises.
An official of the Dengue Control Unit, on condition of anonymity, told The Island that the MRI Entomological Unit, which conducted inspection of hospital premises to detect potential dengue mosquito breeding grounds last week, had detected that the Maharagama Cancer Institute premises were infested with dengue larvae.
He pointed out that the entomologists had even detected potential dengue mosquito breeding places on the roof of recently installed radiation therapy machine. It had been installed underground to treat cancer patients and had cost Rs. 10,000 million.
The official added that the Maharagama hospital authorities had failed to keep the premises clean and instead of setting examples to others the hospital had tarnished the image of hospitals’ cleanliness. Apart from radiation machine roof, several places in the hospital premises had facilitated dengue mosquito breeding.
He said that except for the Maharagama Cancer Institute, several main hospitals island-wide had ignored the Health Ministry’s guidelines to destroy mosquito breeding places. Some hospital authorities were indifferent to dengue mosquito eradication programmes and that was why an unprecedented numbers of dengue cases had emerged.
The official said that the Entomological Unit would conduct more inspection visits to the country’s hospitals and health institutions.
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