LAHORE, Nov 2: A 20-year-old girl from Mian Channu reportedly died of dengue fever at Jinnah Hospital on Wednesday.

She is said to be the first victim of dengue who died of the virus in the provincial capital during the ongoing season of the epidemic.

Urooj Fatima was a suspected dengue patient in the initial assessment due to constant rising fever, critically low platelet counts, and red rashes on different parts of her body, a consultant of the hospital told this reporter requesting anonymity.

Fatima’s family however accused on-duty doctors of not pay her due attention.

They said even when her health was critical, the doctors did not shift her to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and consequently she died at the Medical Unit-II.

The hospital administration rejected the allegations of negligence.

Quoting initial inquiry carried out by a team of senior doctors, a spokesman for the health department said that Fatima was suffering from multiple diseases, including aplastic anemia, Hepatitis-C (active) and severe bone marrow depression.

He said she had been complaining of fever for the last 10 days but was brought to Jinnah Hospital just two days ago.

Constituted by CM’s Special Assistant on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique, the committee comprised of Allama Iqbal Medical College Principal Prof Mehmood Shaukat, Assistant Professor Dr Abbas Raza and Dr Tayyaba.

The spokesman said that the initial probe had also refuted the claim by the family that Urooj was suffering from dengue fever.