Hospitals creating fear psychosis

HYDERABAD: Private and corporate hospitals are creating a fear psychosis in patients ailing from common viral fevers that they are suffering from dengue, malaria and other serious viral fevers, minister for health and family welfare DL Ravindra Reddy has said.Talking withreporters here on Thursday, he said these hospitals were collecting Rs 15,000 and more from each patient for providing platelets, which, surprisingly, are not so costly. “Moreover, that goes against the protocol of treatment,’’ he said. He warned hospitals that the government would not hesitate to invoke the Clinical Establishment Act and initiate stringent action against them if they fleece poor patients in the name of treating diseases which are not of serious nature.“If patients suffer from viral fever and suspected dengue due to a fall in platelet count, which is not alarming, these hospitals are forcing them to go in for platelets,” he said. The minister claimed that there were sufficient stocks of platelets with the government hospitals and even at the health centres.The government would supply platelets free of cost if patients or hospitals approach it even on the Helpline number ‘104’. “Even hospitals in the state capital are not following the treatment protocol,’’ he said and asked them to desist from this unethical practice and not to cheat patients.Officials concerned have been directed to inspect hospitals and verify the case sheets to check unethical practices.’’ A meeting with the representatives of the AP Superspecialty Hospitals Association and AP Nursing Homes Association would be held soon on curbing the unethical practices, he said.