The private clinics and hospitals of provisional state capital are cashing in on the dengue scare created in the general public after recent spurt in the cases of vector borne disease. Taking advantage of the fear about the disease, many clinics and hospitals are unnecessarily admitting patients of the disease for 5 to 7 days and making money.
The decrease in platelet count of the patient suffering from the disease is the most used tool by these unscrupulous doctors to instil fear in the mind of patient and his family.
In a healthy person the number of platelets in one microlitre of blood is 1.5–4.5 lakh. In dengue the platelet count of the patient decreases. In many cases the doctors are opting for transfusion of platelets even when the count is 70,000 or above which is not required.
Senior physician of the Kailash hospital here Dr Gopalji Sharma said, “The medical journals say that there is no need to hospitalise patients when their platelet count is above 10,000 but on a safe side I prefer hospitalisation when the count falls below 20,000. I discharge patient when the number of platelets increase to 40,000.’’
The platelets are responsible for blood clotting and patients with low platelet count are in danger of internal haemorrhage which can be fatal.
The in charge of the blood bank of GDMC hospital, Dr D C Dhyanai said that the platelets have a shelf life of only three to five days which means that the fresh supplies of blood is needed to extract this component of blood.
A blood bank separates the donated blood to three components, the Red Blood Corpuscles (RBC), Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) and platelets. The shelf life of RBCs is 35-42 days while the shelf life is FFP is one year.
The in charge of blood bank of Mahant Indiresh hospital, Dr Gaurav Raturi said, “The demand of platelet was almost nil in the month of June. In July we supplied 150 units of platelets and in August we have supplied more than 600 units till date. As the shelf life of the platelets is short we ask the relatives of the patients to donate platelets. Using the technique of Aphaeresis, we extract good number of platelets from donor.’’
Meanwhile the spread of disease in almost all localities of the state capital has created scare among the residents and frightened people are flocking the pathology labs for dengue tests.
“People are asking us to recommend dengue test even when we are convinced that the symptoms are not of the disease. Yes, the people are frightened,’’ said one of a doctors.
“I keep an eye on the newspaper reports on Dengue and the increase in number of patients affected is really scary. I have started using mosquito nets and make sure my kids apply mosquito repellent creams whenever they venture out,’’ said Anita Kumari, a resident of MDDA, Dalanwala.
Papaya leaves ,Giloe, Kiwi and goat milk in high demand
With increase in the number of dengue cases, the demand of Papaya leaves, Goat milk and Giloe has skyrocketed in Dehradun. One litre of Goat milk in the city is selling at an astronomical rate of `1,000. Similarly, the Papaya leaves are also making a vanishing act as Ayurveda experts are advising people to use them. The belief that use of Kiwi fruit is also helpful in dengue has resulted in high demand of this fruit.
Senior Ayurveda practitioner, Dr J N Nautiyal claimed that Tinospora cordiflora popularly known as Giloe or Amrita and leaves of Carica papaya (Papaya) have got wonderful medicinal properties to cure Dengue. He said that juice of Papaya leaves and giloe extraction help in building immunity of the body and platelet count of the dengue patients increase invariably due to them. Nautiyal said that while the allopathic system of medication has perils of drug dependence and drug tolerance Ayurvedic medication help in building immune system.
The Allopathic doctors however are not so amused by the claims of Ayush doctors for treatment of disease like dengue. One of a senior physician of GDMC hospital said that there is no clinical evidence of treatment of dengue by papaya leaves or giloe.
