MUMBAI: Doctors across the board, from big private hospitals to clinics in Dharavi, are reporting a large number of malaria cases this year.
Dr Deepesh Agrawal, consultant physician and head of critical care medicine at Saifee Hospital, said that additionally, the cases were more severe, with at least two to three critical patients being admitted daily to his hospital’s ICU.
“While the rise in malaria cases could be attributed to the huge number of construction sites in the city, one of the key concerns is the delay in diagnosis, with people delaying treatment or even choosing to self-medicate, using AI-based information. It is important that they avoid self-medication and get timely treatment. “Almost every general practitioner in Dharavi is seeing at least seven malaria patients.
Because many doctors, in order to avoid paperwork, refused to inform the BMC about the prevalence of such cases, dr Anil Pachnekar, a member of the Mahim Dharavi Medical Practitioners Association, said this was.
“Earlier, only cases of falciparum malaria were dangerous but this year we are seeing even cases of vivax malaria turning critical and accompanied by problems in the kidneys, liver and other organs,” he said. “Doctors are supposed to report the names and numbers of patients to the BMC and even remain available when the BMC team comes for verification,” he pointed out. Pachnekar, who practices at Dharavi, said the area was witnessing a huge rise in malaria cases. What is important is to complete the course of anti-malarial treatment and to ensure that co-morbidities like diabetes and blood pressure are also under control,” he said, adding that the treatment protocol had changed. Santosh Gaikwad, executive health officer of the BMC, said that cases of malaria were on the rise in the city. “We are following the treatment protocols and guidelines set by the state government at our public health centres across the city,” he said.
