‘Rising diarrhoea cases cannot be likened to an epidemic’

Sixty-nine diarrhoea cases were reported from the city on Thursday, taking the toll to 80.

No casualty has, however, been reported in the city after the death of a 7-year-old boy of Balmiki Colony on July 23. The mother and two minor siblings of the deceased are still admitted in the Civil Hospital.

Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Dr H S Sarang told Newsline that the cases reported today were sporadic and could not be likened to an epidemic. “This is a routine case in the monsoons. However, what is important here is that the patient should not be left unattended,” the SMO said.

Meanwhile, a three-member medical board, constituted to probe the circumstances leading to the first diarrhoea death in the city, submitted its preliminary report to the SMO today.

Though the SMO refused to divulge the contents of the report, which he forwarded to the Civil Surgeon, who further submitted it to Managing Director of the Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC), it is learnt that any negligence on part of the Mohali Civil Hospital Emergency Medical Officer, who treated Arvind has been ruled out.

It was suspected that Arvind and his family members might have consumed some poisonous substance, which made all of them ill. The medical experts, in the report, have, however, said that patients with acute diarrhoea collapse within two hours but Arvind survived for nine hours after being discharged.

Deputy Commissioner Rahul Bhandari had asked the PHSC MD to conduct an inquiry into the reasons behind the death of Arvind and to initiate departmental action against anybody found of negligence.