Covid-19: Local doctors, NGOs Step in as Hyderabad’s Old City Remains Wary of Govt Hospitals
The absence of a designated COVID-19 hospital is also fueling fear among the public. Also, out of the 11 government-run free testing centres recently established in Hyderabad, the Old City has only one -- at Charminar.
Treatment will be over the phone, free of cost, and no personal visits for those with COVID-19 symptoms.” After his father shared this message on WhatsApp Wednesday afternoon, Dr Saif Mohammed Khan’s mobile phone has not stopped ringing. As frantic enquiries began pouring in, Dr Khan says he attended to at least 250 calls between 5 pm and 2 am that day.
A general surgeon from Noorkhan Bazar area in Old City of Hyderabad, the 30-year-old has started offering free consultation over the phone to those suspecting SARS-COV-2 infection and are unable to reach a Doctor
Ever since the breakout of COVID-19, a considerable number of cases have been reported from Hyderabad’s Old City. While households, neighbourhoods, and markets practically make physical distancing very difficult, the absence of a designated COVID-19 hospital is also fueling fear among the public. Further, out of the 11 government-run free testing centres recently established in Hyderabad, the old city has only one — at Charminar.
Dr. Khan feels people from the Old City are neither being provided adequate medical consultation and timely treatment nor can they afford visiting a corporate hospital. “It is true that there are a lot of cases here. I have seen households with 4 -5 members with symptoms. They are getting over-the-counter medication and experimenting on themselves. There is a fear, which is why they refuse to go to government hospitals or even get tested,” he says.
Indian Express
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