With health authorities in Kashmir focuses “excessively” on COVID19 patients, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Monday said it was harrowing time for people with other diseases and conditions.
“Patients with non-COVID health problems face immense hardships,” said DAK President, Dr Nisar ul Hassan. “People are not getting health care for other problems.”
He said patients with acuteor chronic illness who regularly need to see their doctors were not visitinghospitals.
“It is not just fear thatis keeping people out of hospitals, but the perception that hospitals areclosed for all non-COVID patients,” Dr Hassan said. “Patients are told thatthere are no resources and staff to provide care for non-COVID patients andthat everything is deferred.”
“We see patients with heartattacks, strokes presenting late with all complications leading to delayedintervention and recovery,’ he said. “Also, patients with acute abdominalconditions like appendicitis, cholecystitis due to gall stones present latewith perforation, peritonitis and sepsis, needing emergency surgery andprolonged stay in ICU because of delay in seeking treatment.”
Drhassan said patients withdiabetes and hypertension present acutely with complications because they donot seek medical attention early in case of abnormal levels. “Cancer patientsare coming with spread of their disease because cancer surgeries have been postponed,”he said.
Dr Hassan said: “We mustunderstand that amid the outbreak, people still get heart attacks, strokes.Babies will still be born and appendixes will still burst,” he said. “Healthauthorities need to get the message out that hospitals are taking care ofnon-COVID patients and they have system in place to protect them.”