CHENNAI: Despite stocking anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) vials, several corporation-run health centres in Chennai continue to redirect dog-bite victims to larger government hospitals, citing potential wastage of doses.
This practice persists even though health and family welfare department officials, including Health Minister Ma Subramanian, have repeatedly advised staff in hospitals, primary health centres and Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) across the state not to deny ARV to anyone due to concerns over wastage.
A visit by TNIE to three UPHCs and one Urban Health and Wellness Centre run by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), following the recent death of a man due to rabies, revealed that this trend of redirecting anyone approaching the centres for ARV to nearby bigger government hospitals is widely prevalent.
In all four centres – two in Tiruvottiyur, one in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar and one in Teynampet zones of the GCC – staff, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that if a person approaches the centre after being bitten by a dog, they usually administer a tetanus (TT) injection, advise the person to clean the wound thoroughly, and then redirect them to the nearest government hospital for ARV.
For instance, at the Urban Health and Wellness Centre on Bharathi Road in Perambur, staff told TNIE on Tuesday that they did not administer ARV.
They instead advised taking TT at the centre and visiting Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Government Peripheral Hospital at Periyar Nagar or Government Stanley Medical College Hospital on Wednesday morning without fail to get the ARV shot.
A staff member in one of the UPHCs in the Teynampet zone initially suggested that it would be better to get the injection from Government Royapettah Hospital. When pointed out to the government's advice that ARV shots can be taken in all UPHCs, the staff asked to bring the patient to check the wound first.
The staff in all four centres, however, acknowledged that they stock at least one vial at any given time. They explained that an opened vial, which contains about five doses, must be used within 24 hours. With very few dog-bite cases reported at each centre, they said opening a vial for one person would cause wastage.
When asked about the health department’s instructions, an employee at a UPHC in Tiruvottiyur zone said they would still be questioned in case of wastage. “Hence, we send the patients to nearby government hospitals as more dog-bite cases are reported there every day,” the employee added.
When contacted, GCC Joint Commissioner (Health) VP Jeyaseelan said necessary steps would be taken to ensure such redirection of patients does not recur.