Patients wait but no doctors at urban PHCs
When asked about the doctor, the health worker said, “doctor saab is out on a medical camp and would return after one day.â€
Hyderabad: Located within a two km radius, the urban Primary Health Centres (PHCs) of Ameerpet and Sanathnagar are witnessing a beeline of the sick and tired. At least 150 patients suffering from viral fevers are visiting these PHCs and undergoing treatment.
Though these PHCs were allotted with adequate quantities of medicines for regular ailments to handle patients seeking medication, doctors are not available at the centres as they have been deployed to attend to patients at various medical camps.
The Sanathnagar urban PHC, which functions from 9 am to 4 pm, has been receiving at least 30 patients visiting it every day with complaints of suffering from fever, cold and body pains, for the last 10 days now.
The PHC, which has little space to hold outpatients during consultation, is overflowing with patients who seemed too sick and tired. Sadly, they are forced to return without meeting a doctor, and taking medicines prescribed by health workers at the centre, who are unqualified to do so. It may be recalled that recently a patient had died in the city after being given an injection by a medical shopkeeper.
A health worker, who was prescribing medicines to patients, said: “At least 30 patients are visiting daily with a complaint of fever and body pains. Depending on their symptoms, related tests are being conducted to check for malaria and dengue. So far, no patient has been tested positive with either malaria or dengue, only viral fevers.”
When asked about the doctor, the health worker said, “doctor saab is out on a medical camp and would return after one day.”
An urban PHC located at Ameerpet has been witnessing between 100 to 150 patients a day, complaining of fever. The doctor of this PHC was also away in a medical camp.
A female health worker at the Ameerpet PHC said, “Most of the patients visiting live in nearby basthis. Unhygienic conditions are the primary reasons for them falling sick and affected by viral fevers. We are taking up awareness programmes in residential areas every day to educate public on the necessity of keeping their surroundings clean and hygienic.”
“The blood samples of around 52 patients have been sent for analysis at the Telangana state diagnostics laboratory, and none of the patients so far have been tested positive for malaria or dengue,” she said.