Dengue Updates: Doctors told to follow guidelines

NST: Be on the alert for symptoms of dengue fever.
This is Health Ministry disease control director Dr Ramlee Rahmat’s advice to all government doctors in the wake of allegations of a misdiagnosis of a patient who died a day after treatment.
He said the doctors should adhere strictly to guidelines on the management of dengue cases.
"Doctors should be more alert to dengue symptoms and victims diagnosed must be admitted immediately," he said on the death of Murgayah Narayanan, 21, in Kuala Kubu Baru on Thursday.
His mother, Mageswari Munian, alleged that the Kuala Kubu Baru Hospital’s indifference contributed to her son’s death.
The plumber was taken to the hospital on Tuesday with fever, dizziness and vomiting but was sent home with an injection and some medicines by a medical attendant.
The medical assistant said Murgayah was suffering from fever.
Mageswari said her son’s condition worsened on Wednesday with the family taking him to the hospital later that day.
A doctor took blood samples, confirmed he was suffering from dengue and admitted him.
On Thursday, his condition worsened and he died before he could be sent to the Selayang Hospital.
Dr Ramlee said an investigation into the incident was being conducted by the ministry’s Hospital Division and Selangor Health director Dr Ang Kim Teng.
"I hope hospitals will be more alert, especially with the dengue outbreak," he said.
Dr Ang said Murgayah was not sent to the Selayang Hospital as Kuala Kubu Baru hospital doctors tried to stabilise his condition.
"Although we have classified the death as dengue shock syndrome, we are investigating if there were other complications leading to his death," she said.
Dr Ang said she was investigating why Murgayah was not treated by a doctor on Tuesday.
"I have asked the hospital director for a detailed account of the incident," she said.
Between Jan 1 and last Thursday, a total of 30,544 suspected dengue cases were reported to the ministry with 1,558 being dengue haemorrhagic fever cases. There were 76 deaths over the period.
The worst-hit areas with a high Aedes index are the Timur Laut district in Penang, Kajang, Penang, Klang and Subang Jaya municipal councils, the Shah Alam city council, Setapak and Johor.