Nagpur falls sick from post-rain humidity, 3,000 patients hit Medical OPD in 2 days
Humidity following rain in Nagpur has triggered a surge of skin infections and other ailments at Government Medical College and Hospital's OPD
Rain brought no relief from humidity in Nagpur city and district. The sweltering weather through the day is now showing a direct impact on people's health.
Long queues of patients have been forming at the OPD of the Government Medical College and Hospital, known as Medical, over complaints linked to the weather change, infections and skin problems. More than 3,000 patients have visited the Medical OPD for treatment in just the last two days.
Among them is a considerable number of patients suffering from infectious diseases and various kinds of infections, it is said. Patients are coming to Medical hospital for treatment not only from different parts of the district but also from other states. Rising humidity in the atmosphere due to rain and the continuing mugginess are increasing several health problems. Along with patients suffering from common ailments, a large number of people troubled by infections and skin diseases are also turning to the OPD, resulting in crowds from the hospital's registration counter to its various departments.
The heaviest pressure is on the OPD of the dermatology department. On Monday, the number of patients there reached 1,050, a figure not seen in a year. On Tuesday too, more than 800 patients received treatment there. With such large numbers of patients coming in for two consecutive days in a row, the workload on the OPD has increased.
According to Dr Jayesh Mukhi, head of the dermatology department, rising moisture and humidity in the atmosphere after rain increase problems such as fungal infections. Besides this, patients are also arriving with complaints of itching on the skin, red rashes and other infection-related issues. Dr Mukhi said a sudden rise in such complaints is being seen due to the change in weather.
A major reason for the rising crowd of patients at Medical is also the growing cost of treatment at private hospitals and clinics. Due to the expense of costly tests, doctors' fees and medicines, many patients prefer to get treated at Medical, where treatment is available for a registration fee of just Rs 20. At the Government Medical College, patients are also being given around 60 percent of medicines free of cost from the hospital. Because of low-cost treatment and availability of medicines, a large number of patients are turning to the Medical OPD.
Dr Avinash Gawande, medical superintendent of the medical college, said the crowd of patients in the OPD has increased. He said that during the festival season the crowd is usually low, but this time the situation is the opposite. According to Dr Gawande, all patients are being treated properly, the team of doctors is working with full effort, and the number of patients admitted in the wards has also increased. He said the situation is currently normal.
