The beds and wards in the Fever Hospital in Hyderabad are overcrowded as the number of patients suffering from viral fevers has gone up.
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL
With a sharp increase in seasonal diseases over the last few weeks across Telangana, hospitals are being overwhelmed. At the Government Fever Hospital, long queues have become the norm, with patients waiting for extended periods to see a doctor. At private hospitals and pathology labs, a similar scene is witnessed with people trying to get blood and urine samples tested.
By 11 a.m. on Wednesday, the parking area inside the Sir Ronald Ross Institute of Tropical and Communicable Diseases, also known as Fever Hospital, was filled with vehicles. The number of two-wheelers and three-wheelers entering the premises kept going up as the minutes ticked. Among them was 37-year-old Shantamma, accompanied by her two children. After stepping out of an auto-rickshaw, she joined the outpatient (OP) registration line, which already had 23 women ahead of her. “I’ve had fever for the last two days. My husband is a plumber, so he is out all day, and I need to manage the home and children. If I fall sick, it becomes very difficult,” she explained.
Meanwhile, 55-year-old Mohammad Saleem had just left the pharmacy after spending nearly an hour in the OP line and consulting a doctor. His eight-year-old grandson, also showing symptoms of fever, was with him. “I was told that only children above 13 can see a doctor here; those younger than 13 years must go to Niloufer Hospital,” Saleem said.
“The hospital has been witnessing a daily OP of about 900 to 1,000,” informed an official. In the normal course, the OP sees about 500 cases. According to data released by the Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, Telangana has logged 5,372 dengue cases as of August 25 with Hyderabad being a high-risk district. The Malaria count until August 25 was 191 and Chikungunya was at 152. The health department has identified 2.65 lakh fever cases, the data said.
After seeing the doctors, several patients were directed to give blood and urine samples for further tests in room number 12, the designated sample-collection area. While the blood collection counters were adequately staffed to prevent crowding, the facilities for urine sample collection were clearly inadequate as there was a queue of men outside the toilet. The 20 urine samples in glass bottles without caps were then kept in a tray. “The washrooms were also very unhygienic,” complained a patient.
Ali Shoaib, a 32-year-old daily wage labourer from Secunderabad, was also at the hospital. “I was told to get a Complete Blood Picture (CBP) test, but when I went to have my blood sample taken, I was informed that the machine was not working. I can afford to lose a day’s wage to visit a government hospital, but I can’t afford the high costs of tests at a private hospital so I will come again tomorrow for my test,” he said.
Another patient, who brought her 18-year-old son suffering from a 104-degree fever for the past four days, shared her experience. “We took him to a private hospital in Yakutpura, but there was no improvement. We brought him here, and within a day, we’ve already seen progress,” she added.
