Medical college faces heavy fine as student died of dengue

AHMEDABAD: A medical college in India’s Gujarat state has been fined of Rs50,000 following the death of a 17-year-old girl due to dengue fever and discovery of several mosquito breeding grounds in the vicinity, Indian media reported on Sunday.

The administration of MK Shah Medical College in Ahmedabad faced a heavy fine by the municipal authorities as an inspection team found fresh larvae that subsequently develop to Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads dengue, the report said.

Following the negligence of the varsity administration, at least 50 cases of the mosquito-borne disease were reported from the campus of MK Shah Medical College of which 40 were hostel students, whereas, a student had died of the dengue fever on October 6.

The death of the student has spread panic among parents as well as medical aspirants of the college.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) medical officer Bhavin Solanki told media, “We fined the college Rs 50,000 and gave them a stern warning to make sure anti-vector measures are taken. We will visit them again to check on whether they have implemented the measures required.”

It has been alleged that several places within the medical college witnessed water logging due to construction on the campus, making the vicinity favourable breeding ground for disease-spreading mosquitoes.