Life stuck in the whirlpool of viral fevers

Mahabubabad: It is a show of bravado in this part of the tribal hinterland. A patient holding a saline bottle or a couple of patients sharing a single bed is no strange phenomenon in the Area Hospital at Mahabubabad (also known as Manukota).

The district is in the grip of viral fevers and other contagious diseases for the last few days. With the State Government's promise to upgrade the Area Hospital remained unfulfilled, the healthcare services are the worst hit in the district.

Contrary to the government's claims that it has been dispensing healthcare services on a par with the corporate entities, a visit to the hospital on Tuesday revealed the pathetic state of affairs in the Mahabubabad Area Hospital.

With rains around for the last few days, the hospital was teeming with patients suffering from viral fevers and other seasonal diseases. There was no empty space left in the hospital with the patients occupying every nook and corner.

The bravado of patients is also in full show with some of them getting intravenous (IV) drip are seen moving with saline bottles in their hands. The window grills of the hospital have also become makeshift drip stands with patients those who failed to get beds.

Speaking to The Hans India, Bhaskar, who was suffering from high fever, said: "The situation in the hospital is horrendous. The staff told me to get some medicines. When I asked, the staff told me 'no beds' and it's up to me whether to stay in the hospital or look for an alternate. They hanged the saline bottle to a window near doorway and started the drip."

Another patient said: "The staff told me to share a bed with another patient who was coughing profusely to which I rejected fearing I might be affected with other contagious diseases."

Admitting that patients have to share bed with others, the hospital superintendent Bhim Sagar: "We have to deal with hundreds of patients coming from the tribal pockets of the district. Even though the hospital has just 100 beds, we cannot refuse to treat the patients who are seeking healthcare services in large numbers.

We have made requests to the officials concerned to increase the capacity of hospital."

It may be recalled here that the then Health Minister C Laxma Reddy who visited the hospital in June 2016 and again inApril 2018 promised to upgrade the 100-bed hospital to a 300-bedded facility. Meanwhile, the patients alleged that the hospital did not even has proper drinking water facility.