Private hospitals in Bihar turn dengue fever into a money spinner: report

Patna: The private hospitals in Bihar are having a field day as the dengue cases are on the rise in the state. They are charging dengue fee to the tune of Rs 3,000 which is the highest in the country.

Moreover, the Nitish Kumar government has no means to keep a tab on private hospitals in Patna or elsewhere in Bihar. Unlike states like Delhi and Haryana, the Bihar government has not fixed the rate of the dengue fee.

Given the state's poor health system, a large number of patients seek private hospitals turning the situation a money spinner at the risk of human lives.

"My son has had a fever for three days. I went to Samay hospital, located at Saguna Mor for the treatment and consulted a paediatrician Dr Vijay Kumar Singh. He immediately referred for the test of dengue for elisa and dengue IgG,IgM,Ns1 and charged Rs 4200 including Rs 3000 for the dengue elisa test. I don't mind the test charges despite they being very high but he did not recommend the Vidal test to ascertain typhoid," said Kavita Sharma, the mother of the 14 year old patient.

"The doctor also asked us to admit the child in the hospital as dengue IgM was tested positive despite the platelet count being 1.5 lakh. I refused. Shockingly, the hospital has not given a positive or negative report of the dengue elisa test and taken Rs 3000," Sharma said.

"We followed the treatment for the next four days but his fever did not come down. When we consulted another doctor, he recommended a Vidal test to ascertain typhoid. After his treatment, my son's fever came down and he is normal now," she added.

"The doctors at the private hospitals are not hesitating to prescribe wrong treatment to make money," she said.

"When I inquired with the hospital, that doctor said that he would treat the patient for dengue first and then any other disease like typhoid. When I asked him that the test for typhoid can be possible at one go, he insisted that he would recommend the test for dengue first and then any other disease," she said.

The cases of dengue always spike after the monsoons. As the government hospitals are not well equipped, the patients generally go to private hospitals.

Five police personnel from Khagaul police station in Patna including SHO Phul Dev Chaudhary, ASI Surendra Singh, Sub-Inspector Anirudha Rai, constable Kanchan Kumar and woman constable Bulbul Kumari were admitted in different private hospitals on October 5. They were complaining of high fever and having symptoms of dengue.

Dr Kamal Kishore Rai, the civil surgeon of Patna told IANS: "The state government has not set a fixed rate for dengue. Hence, private hospitals have their own rates. They are charging according to the tests."

Rai admitted that the private hospitals are charging excessively.

The cases of dengue are rapidly increasing in Bihar with over 2700 patients either admitted in the hospitals or recuperating at home. The health department registered 1633 cases in Patna till Thursday which is the highest in the state. Dengue is turning out to be more dangerous than other diseases like Covid- 19.

Besides Patna, 205 cases of dengue were reported in Nalanda, 48 in Vaishali, 34 in Gaya, 32 in West Champaran district and others.

When contacted, an officer of the Municipal Corporation of Patna (MCP) said: "The department is using only old methods to make people aware of dengue but not using preventive measures like fogging in the localities."

Due to lack of fogging, several localities in Patna are turning into dengue hotspots. Localities like Patliputra colony, Digha, Danapur, Khagaul, Rajendra Nagar, Boring Canal Road, Rajbansi Nagar, Punaichak, Srikrishna Puri, Mithapur, Jakkanpur and others are having the maximum cases of dengue. These localities have a number of skyscrapers where the residents are infected with dengue.

The MCP official said that due to the preparations for Durga Puja, sanitation in the localities took a hit for the last few days. As a result, the solid waste also piled up in the cities at various places and is turning out to be breeding grounds for the dengue mosquitoes.

IANS with edits