LUCKNOW, Oct. 5 -- Deputy chief minister and health minister Brajesh Pathak on Sunday said Uttar Pradesh has recorded a major decline in deaths caused by dengue and acute encephalitis syndrome (AES), while the ambulance response time has also been reduced considerably, placing the state among the top performers in healthcare delivery. He made the remarks after launching the third phase of the infectious disease control and Dastak programme and inspecting the urban community health centre in Aliganj.

"Deaths due to AES have fallen by about 98% compared to 2017, while the dengue death rate has reduced by 93%. Before 2017, the ambulance response time was 16.40 minutes, which has now reduced to 7.7 minutes for 108 ambulances and to 6.25 minu...