Though the Chikungunya epidemic that devastated Ratnapura district with over 10,000 reported cases brought misery and pain to many, it had been a windfall for private medical practitioners, a ministry spokesman said yesterday. "A survey conducted by the Ministry of Health for the sharp increase of Chikungunya has revealed the Epidemiologist Unit has not taken action to prevent the spread of the disease and has also failed to report the first case of Chikungunya where a pilgrim at Eratne had infected Chikungunya after he made a pilgrimage to India,' the spokesman said. As a result the disease had spread like a wild fire within a short period and infecting over 10,000 patients by May, compelling President Mahinda Rajapaksa to declare an emergency situation in the district, he said. The end result had been that not only the state healthcare institutions but private clinics had been inundated with Chikungunya patients. About 35% of the land area in Ratnapura district is covered by abandoned gem pits with stagnant water which were easy breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The number of patients seeking hospital treatment increased to about 2,400 a day in April. The survey had found out some private practitioners in Ratnapura had bought brand new vehicles by treating thousands of Chikungunya patients, the spokesman added.