the goan I network
VASCO
With rising cases of dengue cases, the All India Malayali Association (AIMA) has demanded a full-fledged dengue testing centre in Vasco.
Speaking to the media, AIMA Secretary P C Prasad informed that the Chicalim Cottage Hospital (CCH) had no testing facility for dengue cases.
“My son showed symptoms of dengue and I had gone to the CCH, but they said they do not have testing facilities for dengue and requested me to get blood test done outside. The CCH has a testing facility only for malaria.”
“When I had gone for a blood test at a private lab, there were about 100 people who had come there. I called the technician to my house
to take a blood sample but he said there is no time to even have a tea break,” said
Prasad.
“When I got the test done, my son had detected positive for dengue and so, I went back again to CCH, but they said there is no place and asked me to go to a private hospital.”
Stating that there are many cases of suspected dengue and there is no facilities at CCH, Prasad added: “For the middle class, a person can go for a blood check outside CCH but for the poor it becomes difficult to shell our Rs 500 for a blood test.”
“Then, there is a daily testing for the platelet count that costs Rs 400 per test. That means, a poor person has to shell out almost Rs 500 per day as the facility is not available in CCH,” Prasad added.
Prasad insisted that in view of these hardships to the common man, the government should set up a special medical unit only for dengue tests.
