Residents of Telangana’s Mahbubnagar are rushing to hospitals and diagnostic centres with symptoms like fever, rash, muscle and joint pain, headache, nausea or vomiting. Doctors have suggested tests for blood platelet check amid a massive panic over dengue.
The fear of dengue has become a blessing in disguise for private hospitals and diagnostic centres that are flooded with people and are making quick money.
According to the statistics provided by the district health department, every day as many as 16,000 people across Mahbubnagar district are thronging to both government and private hospitals for various kinds of fever. Of them about 3,800 people on an average visit the government hospitals, while another 12,596 people visit various private hospitals for availing treatment for various viral and mosquito-borne diseases every day.
Statistics show the majority of people visiting the private hospitals and clinics and are shelling out more on tests as they are being insisted to spend for diagnostic tests even for normal viral fever.
"Recently, I got fever and visited a private clinic, however, the doctor at the clinic after checking my temperature prescribed tests for dengue, malaria and chikungunya, had to spend more than Rs 2,000 for just tests and later I was told that my platelets are rapidly falling and advised me to get admitted. As I was already terrified with fever, I joined and stayed in the hospital for 3 days, where the hospital charged Rs 30,000," The Hand India quoted Kisan das, a patient, who had undergone treatment for possible dengue fever, as saying.
In Mahbubnagar alone, the general government hospital has registered 334 dengue cases so far and the authorities are providing dengue tests for free of cost. According to the report, overall across erstwhile Mahbubnagar there have been 427 dengue cases registered at all the district hospitals in Mahbubnagar, Nagarkurnool, Gadwal and Wanaparthy and Narayanpet districts. Among these hospitals Mahbubnagar district has witnessed maximum dengue cases while Narayanpet has witnessed only 2 cases.
While there has been tremendous fear among people of the district of contracting dengue fever, the government hospital authorise are urging the public not to approach private hospitals as there are chances of misleading them and take the advantage of the situation for selfish gains. "We at government general hospital are having all facilities for diagnosing dengue fevers. Therefore we urge the public to utilise it and not fall prey to the private hospitals, as it will burden them heavily," The Hans India quoted said Rajini, DMHO Mahabubnagar, saying.
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