VIJAYAWADA: The high incidence of viral fevers in Chittoor district seems to have started ringing the cash registers of private hospitals. Each and every patient without exception accuses them of taking undue advantage of the situation. The doctors at private clinics and hospitals are allegedly prescribing numerous tests for the confirmation of viral fevers and the treatment only gets expensive with every test recommended and different medicines prescribed.
A parent, who admitted his son in a corporate hospital with dengue symptoms, told TNIE that he had spent `1 lakh for medicines alone till date. He also spent another `1.5 lakh for various tests, blood transfusion, and specialist doctors among others. The transfusion of platelets alone cost him `75,000. The hospitals sell platelets for `20,000 a packet, he complained.
On an average, each corporate hospital charges `1.5 lakh to `2 lakh for the treatment of viral fevers. The hospitals conduct primary confirmation tests by themselves and send the reports and blood samples to the government general hospital in their respective areas for final confirmation of dengue. In case the primary test comes out positive, the doctors start full-fledged treatment for dengue.
“Many private and corporate hospitals are cheating the patients claiming every viral fever could be dengue. The fall of platelets can also be seen in any of the viral fever cases. Citing this, many were looting money from patients. Some doctors are creating a panic situation by magnifying even the slightest change in test reports. Viral fevers are serious but not so critical in many cases. The people should be aware of the things happening in private clinics,” said Dr Suresh, Praja Arogya Vedika convener.
Meanwhile, Chittoor district officials say the recent rains and breeding of mosquitoes in stagnant rainwater have led to the spread of viral fevers. The district has recorded around 55 malaria cases this year and over 323 dengue cases. Apart from this, the district also recorded a number of suspicious viral fevers with symptoms similar to that of dengue and malaria.