Cuttack: In view of the rising cases of dengue across Odisha, the SCB Medical College and Hospital here will soon open an ICU for treatment of the dengue patients.

The ICU, to be set up near Central ICU at the hospital, will have eight beds. It will start functioning within next two to three days, informed SCB Emergency officer Dr Bhubanananda Maharana here today.

This will certainly fulfil requirements of the rising dengue patients at the hospital, he said.

Meanwhile, 33 of the 99 blood samples were tested dengue positive at the hospital today. Of the 33 affected persons, 19 are from Cuttack alone, five from Jagatsinghpur, 3 from Jajpur and one each from Dhenkanal, Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Rayagada and Sambalpur.

Currently, a total of 70 affected persons are undergoing treatment at the hospital while seven of them have been admitted in ICU, said hospital authorities.

“Dengue affected persons from various districts are being admitted to SCB everyday. Though special wards are there for dengue affected, there is no ICU for the patients for which they are being treated in ICUs of other departments at the hospital,” said a hospital staff.