MYSURU: The fever clinics in Mysuru, considered to be the first line of defence in the fight against COVID-19, seem to be ailing. Three of the four fever clinics visited by The New Indian Express on Monday did not have a doctor in the afternoons.
There was no doctor to treat, guide or prescribe medicines to patients after 2 pm in the three fever clinics set up at the Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHC) on Ramanuja Road, Kuvempunagar and Nachanahalli Palya. The district administration and the health and family welfare department set up ten fever clinics in the city.
Each clinic must have a rapid response team with one doctor, two nurses and a healthcare worker, and must function from 9 am to 4 pm.
As per the protocol, the doctor has to categorise the person who visits a fever clinic as a ‘suspected’ or ‘safe’ based on his body temperature and other symptoms.
However, in these fever clinics, the duty doctor left as early as 1 pm on Monday.
When this reporter visited a fever clinic at Kuvempunagar UPHC, the nurse said that the doctor was not available and suggested to come the next morning as doctors would be there only till 1 pm.
However, soon after she realised that she was speaking to a reporter, she said the doctor was at the clinic and had left for lunch. Several citizens are also complaining.
Padma, a resident of Vishveshwaranagar, said, “My husband is a CLD patient and also has cellulitis. The family physician suggested that we visit the nearest fever clinic. When we went to the primary health centre on Ramanuja Road, the nurse on duty said that the doctor left early and asked us to come the next day.”
When the issue was brought to the notice of Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G Sankar, he said that he will look into the issue and said that all fever clinics in the city must function from 9 am to 4 pm.