Dengue havoc still on in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: While the Telangana state authorities claim that the state is fully equipped to handle dengue breakout, chaos and helpless is a typical scene in the city’s government hospitals. The state hospitals lack staff, beds and vaccines and patients are forced to go to private hospitals to avail treatment.

A Class X student who succumbed to dengue is the fourth death reported this week in Hyderabad. There has been a spurt in the number of dengue cases in Telangana, especially in Hyderabad. According to official records more than 50 lives have been claimed so far. Over the past month, there have been 530 confirmed cases of dengue reported in the state, of which more than 370 are from Hyderabad including three deaths reported this week. The actual number of deaths because of the vector-borne disease may be higher as doubts are being raised about the real numbers.

But what is more disturbing is that the family are struggling to get her body back from the hospital as they are unable to pay the high hospital fees. Gowthami, 16 was admitted to the KIMS hospital five day back with dengue. She was put on ventilation and was being treated, but succumbed to the disease. The bill came up to Rs 7 lakhs.

The family said, “Gowthami’s father is a taxi driver. We paid Rs 3 lakhs from insurance and another Rs 80,000 through relatives. The hospital wants us to pay the remaining amount. The parents do not have the means to pay the remaining amount.” says the family.

Government hospitals in the city are flooded with patients suffering from viral fever and dengue. Patients are left with no option but to rely on private hospitals. A basic blood test for dengue in a private hospital costs anything between Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000. While the average cost of dengue diagnosis and treatment ranges between Rs 5,000 to Rs 5 lakh.

Indian Medical Association (IMA) Telangana chapter president Dr Pratap Reddy said, “Considering the number of viral fevers reported this is an epidemic. Each death is important to us as a society. The focus at this stage should be on the number of infectious cases.”

Also read: https://newsmeter.in/teen-dies-of-dengue-in-hyderabad-parents-struggle-to-get-body-from-hospital/

“Municipalities and urban centres should follow the protocol of sanitation and cleanliness. It is the role of the state government and local bodies and our role as a society to upgrade ourselves when it comes to cleanliness. People should use filtered water that’s warmed twice for drinking and make sure that there is no stagnant water in our neighbourhoods,” Dr Pradap adds.

The Treatment for dengue in its initial stages is 100 per cent curable. Any cases reported late have to be treated emergency case. The common symptoms of viral fever, dengue fever are high temperature, severe body pain and giddiness. All patients who have these symptoms should visit the doctor and hospital.