GUWAHATI: A couple of days ago, Safdar Ali (name changed) developed some tell-tale signs of dengue — cold chills, fever, pain behind eyes and in joints. With the state currently suffering from a dengue scourge, he contacted a private diagnostic centre to get his blood tested, only to learn that he would have to pay through his nose for the test.
Braving the rush of people getting their blood tested, Ali finally went to a state-run health facility on Saturday. Like Ali, many people from low-income groups have little option but to resort to free dengue testing facilities at governmentrun hospitals like Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) and Mahindra Mohan Choudhury Hospital, even if this means having to wait two days to know the results.
With there being no end in sight to the spate of dengue cases being reported owing to the imminent onset of the winter season, there is an equally high number of cases which are not being reported because of the troubles faced in detecting the virus. The official dengue count in the Kamrup (metro) district alone has crossed the 1900-mark this year.
"Within Rs 300 I got all the four tests which were recommended to me by a doctor at a government-run facility. There was a rush and I had to wait for some time. But the process was cheap," said Ali.
Private diagnostic facilities in the city charge somewhere between Rs 1500 to 2000 for dengue tests. The price increases if a doctor decides to recommend more diagnostic tests like for malaria.
"I had called a private diagnostic centre to ask about the price rate for dengue and other tests. I was informed that for dengue it would cost me Rs 1500 and for malaria another Rs 700 to 800. So if I have to get a comprehensive test done, it would cost me about Rs 3000 or even Rs 4000," said Ali.
On an average day during the peak season for dengue, 100 to 120 patients turn up at GMCH to get blood tests done, as confirmed to TOI by Ramen Talukdar, the GMCH superintendent. "Private testing is very expensive. The state government has made dengue testing free.
This is important," said Ganesh Saikia, joint director of health, Kamrup (metro) district.
Braving the rush of people getting their blood tested, Ali finally went to a state-run health facility on Saturday. Like Ali, many people from low-income groups have little option but to resort to free dengue testing facilities at governmentrun hospitals like Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) and Mahindra Mohan Choudhury Hospital, even if this means having to wait two days to know the results.
With there being no end in sight to the spate of dengue cases being reported owing to the imminent onset of the winter season, there is an equally high number of cases which are not being reported because of the troubles faced in detecting the virus. The official dengue count in the Kamrup (metro) district alone has crossed the 1900-mark this year.
"Within Rs 300 I got all the four tests which were recommended to me by a doctor at a government-run facility. There was a rush and I had to wait for some time. But the process was cheap," said Ali.
Private diagnostic facilities in the city charge somewhere between Rs 1500 to 2000 for dengue tests. The price increases if a doctor decides to recommend more diagnostic tests like for malaria.
"I had called a private diagnostic centre to ask about the price rate for dengue and other tests. I was informed that for dengue it would cost me Rs 1500 and for malaria another Rs 700 to 800. So if I have to get a comprehensive test done, it would cost me about Rs 3000 or even Rs 4000," said Ali.
On an average day during the peak season for dengue, 100 to 120 patients turn up at GMCH to get blood tests done, as confirmed to TOI by Ramen Talukdar, the GMCH superintendent. "Private testing is very expensive. The state government has made dengue testing free.
This is important," said Ganesh Saikia, joint director of health, Kamrup (metro) district.
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