Fever cases cross 22 lakh so far this year in Kerala

Kochi: The fever cases in the state have crossed 22 lakh so far this year compared to last year's 16 lakh. There has been a significant increase in the number and mortality rate of dengue and H1N1. While the number of H1N1 deaths in 2016 was just 17, it rose to 1,255 this year.  

As many as 190 suspected dengue deaths were reported till August this year while the number was only 18 last year. Confirmed dengue deaths increased from 11 to 25. The number of confirmed dengue cases reported this year is 15,003 as against 4,469 in 2016.

“The number of patients coming to OP has been on a sharp increase. In July alone, 39, 000 patients came for treatment in OP in Paravur Taluk hospital which is the highest in last ten years. They include 12, 000 patients in casualty. We managed the increased flow of patients with the insufficient number of doctors, paramedics and other resources,” said Dr P.K. Sunil, a paediatrician at the hospital and president of KGMOA, Ernakulam.

With no guideline on the number of patients to be consulted or the number of tokens to be distributed per day, doctors have to work for long hours in a very constrained situation, he added.

According to doctors in health services, government hospitals are ill equipped to address the grave situation. 

“With no staff and infrastructure facilities, primary health centres and community clinics, which focus on disease prevention, are the worst affected. Though new posts were created for doctors in the speciality cadre in 2008, no doctor was appointed in PHCs or CHCs,” said a doctor in health services.

The staffing pattern introduced in 1961 is still followed, and state is trying to announce more services in PHCs and CHCs without providing additional facilities, alleged KGMOA general secretary Dr Raoof A.K.