Pune Municipal Body Issues Guidelines for Treatment for Dengue

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has issued guidelines to hospitals for treatment and hospitalisation of patients showing dengue symptoms.

The guidelines have not been wholeheartedly welcomed by the city’s medical community who say that there is a lot of grey area while treating dengue patients, The Times of India reported.

According to the PMC, the guidelines were issued after they came across multiple cases where people were admitted and plasma or platelet transfusions were done unnecessarily due to public panic.

However, the doctor's association has claimed that treatment required is complex and no admission was done without reason.

Notably, the guidelines were issued a few days back to all private doctors and hospitals in the PMC's jurisdiction. According to health officials' there has been a drastic increase in dengue cases, of which doctors and private hospitals are taking undue advantage. They further say that peopel suspected to be stricken with dengue are being admitted in hospital and given platelet transfusion instead of following standard protocol. The hospitals and doctors who don’t follow the guidelines will face action, they said.

According to reports, since January, 3,632 cases have been flagged, of which 666 cases have been confirmed in the PMC’s area. Furthermore, a maximum number of confirmed dengue cases, 321, were reported in September, followed by 44 in August and 17 in July, respectively.

Dr Sanjeev Wavare, assistant health chief of PMC, said that they have come across cases where private hospitals and doctors are taking advantage of panicked patients with dengue symptoms, whom they are admitting and giving unnecessary plasma or platelet transfusion. The guidelines have been issued to stop this, he added.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) told Mirror there is an overall fear of death and complications in the public about the disease. According to them, the allegations of PMC were wrong, and the patients were admitted and transfusion is done only when it is required, the body said.

Dr Sanjay Patil, president of IMA, Pune chapter said that said that IMA will discuss the issue with PMC in the upcoming meeting, adding that there are cases where the patients themselves monitor their own platelet counts and demand for admission or platelet transfusion.

Patil, who is also chairman of the Hospital Board of India, Pune chapter said that the behaviour of dengue cannot be guaranteed. There are cases in which patients with platelet count above 50,000 died but patients with a count as low as 30,000 recovered.

He added that no one can say that a patient did not need to be admitted and that medical cost differs from hospital to hospital and doctor. Tests need to be done to confirm the condition even if a person does not show classic symptoms.

He further said that a doctor has to prescribe screening tests to confirm and eliminate conditions and the prognosis differs from patient to patient.

However, former professor of medicine at Armed Forces Medical College and senior consultant physician at Jehangir Hospital, Dr Kiranjit Singh, agreed that there are cases of unnecessary admissions. Singh said that patients’ overall condition, blood pressure, weakness, platelet count have to be considered for admission. It is very difficult to give any guidelines or criteria for hospitalisation of dengue patients as the treatment differs, based on severity of symptoms and condition.