Death review of dengue victims halted due to lack of funds: DGHS

The death reviews of dengue victims have been suspended due to a lack of funding, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS)

Dr Halimur Rashid, line director of the Communicable Disease Control (CDC) branch at DGHS revealed the information during the release event of the 2024-25 entomological survey on Aedes mosquitoes at the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) auditorium yesterday (18 June).

To understand the exact causes behind dengue-related deaths, the government formed a death review committee in 2019. However, there has been no clear update on how many cases the committee has reviewed or the insights it has gathered over the years.

Speaking at the event, Dr Rashid said, "After I joined in 2024, I started working on the dengue death review. We collected death certificates of 124 patients from different hospitals and formed a committee.

"We even held a few meetings and built a structural framework to analyse causes of death. But I couldn't continue further. It's difficult to run regular meetings with 8–10 members using money from one's own pocket. My fund is absolutely zero."

He added that the preliminary findings identified dengue shock syndrome as the primary cause of most deaths, particularly among patients aged between 21 and 30, the most affected age group.

When asked if the death review work has been discontinued due to financial constraints, Dr Rashid said, "It really cannot be continued under the current circumstances."

According to media reports, previously, various health initiatives were carried out under the sector program framework through multiple operational plans. However, the interim government has transitioned away from this model, opting instead for a two-year "exit plan."

Nearly a year into this plan, no significant programmes have been launched under it. As a result, many routine health activities are now in limbo due to severe budget constraints.