Fight coronavirus, but don’t neglect other diseases

<p style="font-weight: 400;">As the country’s administrators and medical authorities try to combat the rapid spread of coronavirus, thousands of patients with other serious ailments are getting ignored. Several hospitals including, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMs), the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital and Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, have shut their out-patient departments or OPDs. While the hospitals are running their emergency units, patients have been advised not to visit hospitals if there is no emergency.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Many private clinics have been shut altogether because of the 21-day national lockdown.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The Safdarjung Hospital has decided to cancel all elective surgeries until the spread of the deadly coronavirus is contained. “I have asked my patients not to visit the clinic if it is not urgent,” said a Gurgaon-based doctor, who refused to be identified.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Now imagine the pain and uncertainty for patients who are waiting for treatment or other diagnosis. “I am extremely worried as I have a heart problem and I have to visit the hospital for regular check-ups. I have been advised not to come to the hospital for some time now,” an 82 year retired professor said.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Another patient, who has developed some medical problem but is not an emergency is waiting for doctors to start taking appointments.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Since the outbreak of the coronavirus across India and the world, doctors, nurses and paramedics have primarily been focused on handling patients suffering from this disease.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">While the deadly contagious virus has to tackled, the authorities and hospitals have to understand there are thousands of other patients suffering from diseases related to the heart, kidney, lungs, etc., apart from those infected with flu and vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue. They too need immediate attention.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">According to the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, in 2017 as many as 1.88 lakh people were diagnosed with dengue, of whom 325 died. Then there is tuberculosis. It killed 449,000 in 2018, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan informed the Lok Sabha in November 2019.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Ignoring ailments other than COVID-19 for long could lead to other health crises, which must be avoided.</p>.