Editorial
Jaundice in DU
Is it a trivial issue?
Ajaundiced eye approach to the jaundice outbreak in the Dhaka University residential halls -- this could perhaps be a more appropriate title to what happened in parliament on Wednesday centring around a point of order raised by AL lawmaker Jahangir Hossain about the incidence of jaundice in DU. Responding to the opposition member's point, water resources minister Hafizuddin Ahmed said that the opposition were bringing up 'non-issues' like jaundice finding no other point to criticise the government on, as the latter 'was running the country smoothly'. We are aghast at the thought that the minister could consider jaundice epidemic as something of a trifling issue, although by all accounts, it has emerged as a serious public health concern. The spread of hepatitis infection in the Dhaka University residential halls has been in the national news for quite some time now. The scale of the affliction can be comprehended from the fact that some four to five residential halls have had bouts of jaundice with nearly five hundred students falling victim to it. There is hardly any sign of remission and the outbreak is widely viewed by the students and their guardians as being an epidemic. The water, food and overall hygienic conditions in the dormitories have come under the microscope with the university and hall authorities caught unprepared in coping with the health exigency. The students kept away from the halls and there has clearly been an unsettling effect on the academic life at the highest seat of learning in the country. Hospitalisation and treatment were severely constrained as the lone university medical centre could not face the onrush of patients involving the dire need for investigations and emergency medical help. The Daily Star published quite a few editorials echoing public concern over the outbreak of the disease and highlighting the imperative necessity for an effective coordination between the health and education ministries to alleviate the suffering of the students. We hope no effort will be spared to bring the situation to normality.
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