KOTHAGUDEM: Several kidney patients from hamlets like Peeklathanda, Takyathanda, Panthuluthanda and Cheepurugudem of Bethalapudu village in Julrupad mandal are selling their assets to undergo tests and dialysis.
Nearly 24 patients are suffering from kidney problems and more patients are likely if more tests are conducted. There are fears that the village may be recalled to Uddanam in Andhra Pradesh if the government fails to take up rapid tests.
A kidney patient Daravath Veeru died a week ago and another 15 are suffering from acute dialysis problems.
The community health centre at Julurpad, led by medical officer Dr B. Veerababu, collected blood samples from 13 persons out of 76 outpatients. It was found that serum creatinine was more than two mg per deciliter in 12 of them.
It is considered that the normal person’s serum creatinine will be between 0.6 mg and 1.3 mg per decilitre. Any individual whose serum creatinine is more than 2 mg per decilitre is a kidney patient.
Banothu Mangya, Banothu Parsya, Laxmi and B. Bicha have been suffering such problems for a long time and they are spending lakhs of rupees towards tests and dialysis. Most of the patients are going to private hospitals, which charge in lakhs. Gullible patients are even going to private hospitals in Hyderabad on the advice of private medical practitioners. There are instances wherein patients have sold their lands to meet hospital bills.
Sekhar, a social activist, said “The government should collect blood samples of all suspected persons and send them for tests. Qualified medical teams must assess each case and reasons that are causing kidney problems.”
Earlier, people from these villages used to drink borewell water but they are now getting purified drinking water from Mission Bhagiratha. There is a need to collect water samples from all borewells and that from Mission Bhagiratha and send them to laboratories in Hyderabad. It is suspected that arsenic residue in the water sources is one of the factors leading to the problem, implying that they are not drinking safe water.
A government official, on condition of anonymity, said, “Tests being conducted by drinking water supply officials are misplaced. They test fluorine content but are not bothered about other illness-bearing materials in the water. A team visited Uddhanam and conducted tests on the drinking water there. They found that the content of arsenic metals is more than permissible levels. Such an effort should be taken up in Bethalapadu and its hamlets on a priority basis.”
