Karimnagar: No check on the spread of viral diseases, private hospitals fleece patients

Karimnagar: The spread of viral diseases in continuing unchecked since past three months with many people suffering from various kinds of diseases in the undivided Karimnagar district.

The State-run government hospitals, as well as many private hospitals in the district, are witnessing huge rush of patients especially children suffering from viral fevers, cold, typhoid, dengue and malaria besides other infectious diseases.

Generally, every day around 500 to 600 patients suffering from infectious diseases and viral fevers, typhoid and dengue visit hospitals for Out Patient (OP) services. Keeping in view of the heavy rush of patients, hospitals are running OP services in the evening session also.

Meanwhile, many private hospitals and diagnostic centres are looting the innocent patients who visit them from various corners of the undivided Karimnagar district and neighboring districts of Adilabad and Mancherial districts in the name of medical tests and medicines.

As soon as patients visits a hospital suffering from illness, the hospital try to admitting them and collect anything from Rs. 20,000 to1 lakh from them in the name of medical tests and for providing treatment. The hospitals are charging Rs 10 to Rs100 for one injection from patients and to those who are suffering from dengue, they are charging Rs 40 to Rs400 for one injection.

For transfusion of blood platelets they are collecting around Rs18,000 and for allotment of bed Rs5,000 for medicines Rs 5,000 for technicians and medical tests around Rs15,000 excluding doctor's fees.

"Dengue fever can be diagnosed only after conducting Elisa test and if any private hospital doctors confirm the dengue fever by conducting the normal tests and creates panic among the people actions would be taken against them," warned the District Medical and Health Officer Dr Ram Mohan Rao.

N Ramesh, an NGO alleged that it is the responsibility of the private hospitals to display the notice board regarding the charges they are taking for providing treatment in their respective hospital for various kinds of diseases the patients are suffering from. But no single private hospital in the district headquarters follows the rule.

The Superintendent of the Karimnagar Government Main Hospital Dr Ajay Kumar said that necessary steps are taken for extending the Out Patients (OP) services in the government hospitals in the evening session also, people must utilise the services and recover from the mild and viral fevers they are suffering from.

There is no shortage of medicines in the district. Several health camps of Homeopathy and Allopathy are organised by identifying the high-risk prone areas in the district. People should utilise the medical services that are provided in the health camps, he urged.