Hyderabad: Drugs shortage hits cure at govt hospitals

Hyderabad: A severe shortage of medicines is plaguing Telangana state as doctors are in dire need for more than 150 different sets of medicines to treat people suffering from a plethora of diseases whose epidemic has broken out, but only 20 sets of essential medicines with different groups of antibiotics are being supplied.

With Hyderabad in a vicious grip of viral fevers, dengue, chikungunia, malaria, typhoid, viral fevers and other diseases, a shortage of medicines is making treatment difficult.

A senior government doctor at a public health centre in Siddipet said, “The district is witnessing a steep rise in chikungunia cases. Besides paracetamols and antibiotics, we require calcium supplementation and pain killers, but the latter two are unavailable.

Superintendents of the Gandhi Hospital and the Osmania General Hospital have complained that there are not sufficient medicines for treating viral fever and other vector borne diseases.

Drug resistance fails to cure fevers
Antibiotic resistance is one of the major reasons for prolonged viral fevers and dengue as the first generation of medicines is not found to work and there is a need to give higher dose of medicines.

This has been noted by both government and private hospitals in the state as the fevers which subside in three days are not happening with the medicines and are taking five to six days to recede.

Similarly with dengue fevers the medicines are taking seven to nine days to reduce the viral load in the body.

The government health officials claim that the rush to the urban health centres, Fever Hospital and the three government general hospitals has increased as the medicines which are provided by the quacks in the districts and periphery areas of the city are not found to work.

Due to this reason, there is three times more rush at the government centres. A senior government doctor explained, “We are having a tremendously high number which was not seen otherwise. The government action with the evening clinics will help but they must also ensure that there are sufficient doctors and supporting staff to treat the patients.”

Dr Dinesh Kumar Chirla, senior paediatrician and an expert in antibiotic resistance at Rainbow Hosptials explained, “This season has brought to fore our worst fears of antibiotic resistance as in viral fevers the medicines are not found to work. This shows that the virus is strong and is not responding to the medicine due to the overexposure. This also makes it very difficult to treat critically ill patients as their response is delayed and that leads to complications. It is very important that the use of antibiotics is strongly regulated which will ensure that medicines work when there are too high cases.”