Private hospital authorities said the BBMP had made it compulsory for all suspected cases of dengue and chikungunya to be tested either by the National Institute of Virology or Public Health Institute.
It will now take at least 48 hours to receive medical reports on tests for dengue.
Private hospital authorities said the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had made it compulsory for all suspected cases of dengue and chikungunya to be tested either by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) or Public Health Institute (PHI).
However, they added that this would not affect treatment for suspected patients.
The decision was taken after dengue was found spreading quickly across the city. BBMP officials said 183 cases of dengue and 67 cases of chikungunya were officially confirmed in Bangalore, though the actual numbers may be much higher.
Hence, the civic body made it mandatory for private hospitals to send blood samples of suspects to either the NIV or PHI, even if the hospitals had a laboratory of their own.
“Dengue and chikungunya can be checked for with simple serological blood tests. This can be done in any private laboratory. However, with dengue spreading in the city, if all suspected samples are sent to NIV, the test reports will be delayed.
We cannot leave the patients without any medication until the reports are received and they need to be under constant observation to ensure there is no excessive bleeding or drop in platelet count.
In such situations, blood transfusion should be done immediately,” said Dr H Paramesh, director, Lakeside Hospital.
Dr Paramesh, who is also the president of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association, Bangalore, added that if the BBMP wanted to ascertain the actual number of such cases, it should have requested private hospitals to report all positive cases. “We don’t mind sending the samples to NIV or PHI as long as the government pays for the tests. Otherwise, it is a costly affair,” he said.
Dr Poornima Parthasarathy, senior consultant, Apollo Hospital, said that dengue patients could be treated at home, if the case was not severe. However, constant medical monitoring was required to ensure that the platelet count did not drop too low.
Dr Sanjeev Rao, consultant, internal medicine, Manipal Hospital, said that the process would not affect treatment. “We will conduct a test at the hospital lab and send a sample to NIV or PIH too.
Only if there is a discrepancy in results will a report be sent to the concerned hospital,” he said.
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