Spurt in gastro, viral fevers in Palamuru

In the agency area of Nallamala, people in general and Chenchu tribals in particular have been the troubled lot. At least one person is suffering from gastro enteritis in Chenchu tribal villages.

Mahbubnagar: Gastro enteritis and viral fever has been spreading fast all over the district due to heavy rain and poor sanitary conditions. Particularly, the aged and the children are falling prey to the disease. There are hardly any facilities in the primary health centres for treating the disease and people are compelled to pay visits to the private nursing homes which is very expensive.

The district medical and health department is yet to wake up from slumber though the situation is going out of control all over the district. The on and off rains for the last one month have been causing immense hardship to the people. In the agency area of Nallamala, people in general and Chenchu tribals in particular have been the troubled lot. At least one person is suffering from gastro enteritis in Chenchu tribal villages. However, the officials claim that viral fever cases are being reported in the limits of a couple of primary health centres.

In reality, viral fever is prevalent in the tribal villages of Appapur, Mallapur, Pullaipalli, Sangidigundala, Medimalkala, Bowrapur, Rampur and others while the Gastro enteritis is found in Narayanapet, Ootukuru, Maktal, Damaragidda, Kollapur and Wanaparthi mandals. The gastro is spreading in the villages due to the unhygienic conditions.

There are four community health centres under the control of 86 primary health centres, 674 sub-centres apart from 350-bed general hospital at the district headquarters of Mahbubnagar in the district. Of 173 medical officer posts in the district, sizable number of posts remains vacant in spite of the reports submitted by the higher officials to the government for immediately filling up of the posts.

Though a number of viral fever cases are reported in the 674 health sub-centres, there is hardly any medicine available to administer to the patients. Generally, in case of viral fever, the patients should be administered at least three or four bottles of saline mixed with anti-biotic injections. It is a distant dream for the patients to get such treatment in the primary health centres.
The district headquarters hospital is only capable of extending such medical services and naturally the general hospital is crowded with 400 and 500 patients on any given day though it is only a 350-bed hospital. Though the government has decided to long back to supply mosquito nets to the tribal in the Nallamala forest villages, the officials have yet to implement the scheme.

It is high time the officials of district medical and health department launched a massive programme to bring awareness among the people about the precautionary measures. They should also extend proper medical facilities to the poor in general and Chenchu tribals in particular who fall sick.