Valenzuela law requires hospitals to report dengue

Medical facilities in Valenzuela City may soon be slapped fines for not reporting dengue cases to the local government.

The city council recently approved an ordinance imposing sanctions on local hospitals and clinics in the city that would not give such updates to the the city health office.

Under the measure titled “An ordinance establishing policies on the control of dengue vectors and emergency protocols during cases of its possible infestation in the city,” a hospital will pay P1,000 for every instance it failed to submit a dengue report.

The ordinance was authored by First District Councilor Rovin Feliciano and approved on Oct. 21.

According to Feliciano, it will enable local authorities to act quickly and put a stop to the spread of dengue in a specific community.

The ordinance also requires each barangay to come up with action plans on how to eradicate dengue in their areas.

It also calls on barangays to assign action officers whose primary responsibility is to locate the source of dengue-carrying mosquitos as well as disseminate information among the residents about the disease. Kristine Felisse Mangunay