Sick bay
Malaria. Dengue. Viral. How rain, poor health management, irresponsible construction have finally taken a toll on Mumbai’s most solid asset: its people
Lekha Menon and Alka Shukla
Posted On Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 02:10:29 AM
Another year, another monsoon, another spell of unrelenting rain. But this time, something is different - a city touted for its ability to go through every travesty with a smile on its face has been pushed against the ropes by a spate of diseases, starting with malaria and dengue and ending with fever and gastroenteritis. In the middle of crumbling infrastructure and civic mismanagement that leads to splintered roads and bursting pipelines, the one thing holding Mumbai together - its people - also seem to be giving in. Experts and the aam aadmi are both unanimous that this has been the sickest monsoon for the city that never sleeps, hitting productivity and festering gloom, as the civic authorities are going through the motions but are strangely failing to find answers to the same questions that are asked every year. Let's start with some number crunching: As per the latest BMC figures, the total number of people admitted to various private, municipal and government hospitals with monsoon-related ailments is 13,530. Unofficial estimates are much higher. Malaria, the talk of the season, tops the list. Take a look at the figures for this month alone: 25 deaths and 3,628 affected patients. The number of dengue patients is 140, with three deaths, and there have been 25 leptospirosis patients with five deaths. The first 18 days of August have seen 8,600 cases of fever and 1,137 of gastroenteritis. The Anopheles mosquito has not even spared the cops with over 2,000 men in khaki hospitalised in the last couple of months. The monsoon showers - the best we've had in a while - may have brought huge relief to this water-starved city. But along with the rain have come a long list of ailments that have forced ever-busy citizens to halt in their tracks.
The result is there for all to see. Increased absenteeism in offices, failing health and a general blue funk has set in. Sushil Bahal, CEO of a communications firm has been at his wits' end trying to deal with schedules going haywire and deadlines being missed, all thanks to the poor attendance in his organisation. “Each of the 35 people in my firm has taken 5-10 days off to recuperate from flu, malaria and other diseases. In the two decades that I have been in this business, this has probably been the worst year,” says a worried Bahal. Offices, schools, colleges and households across the city tell a similar tale. At Mantralaya, the attendance reported on Wednesday was just 66 per cent with about 5,000 employees out of 8,000 registering their presence. Many of those absent have reported as sick, a senior official told this newspaper. An unending list The alarming extent of the situation becomes clear when not just government centres but also high-profile private hospitals teem with patients suffering from seasonal diseases. Dr Dilip Nadkarni, leading orthopaedic surgeon attached to Lilavati Hospital, notes that patients signed up for planned surgeries are finding it difficult to get beds because the wards are occupied by people suffering from fever or malaria. “Two anaesthetists in my team fell ill recently, which greatly affected work,” he says. “This time the diseases are striking anyone at will.” Clearly, the authorities find themselves outfoxed. The numerous health campaigns, fumigation exercises and cleanliness drives notwithstanding, Mumbai’s health facilities that cover just 80 lakh people seem hopelessly inadequate to cater to its 1.4 crore population. “We get about 4-5 cases of influenza every day. Of all patients, 80 per cent suffer from malaria and 20 per cent from Dengue. And they belong to all strata of society,” says Dr Bajan Khusrav, critical care specialist, Hinduja Hospital. Blame the weather The reasons are not far to seek either. Rampant construction, responsible for as much as 38 per cent of emission load of particulate matter, has been cited as the prime reason for increasing pollution. Add to it stagnant water, the breeding ground for mosquitoes, the general filth during the rains, the long commute, overcrowding, and you have a potent mix that takes a toll on your health. The weather, of course, has been largely blamed. “Dengue increases when there are intermittent showers while malaria increases when there is a continuous downpour,” says Dr Khusrav. With 100 humidity in the atmosphere, even those who stay at home are not spared. “Fungus tends to grow in stagnant water.
Also in this weather your clothes and bed tend to be damp. Those who are allergic to fungi will naturally suffer from sneezing, sore throat, watery eyes and breathing problems,” says ENT specialist Dr Gauri Mankekar, herself recovering from a bad bout of flu. Mankekar adds that the general lethargy in the air, even for those who haven’t been hit by a virus, points to Seasonal Affective Disorder - common in European countries during bleak winters. “It’s a typical reaction to the weather. Only, here, it is during the monsoon when the sky is dark for days on end,” she says. Enough already For the common man and woman though, it has been a rather long date with ill-health, muck and filth. “I have had enough of the rains,” says Shital Raval of the Cancer Patient Aid Association, where three staffers have reported sick in the last few days. “I feel like sterilising my feet each time I step out.” Most Mumbaikars are doing what they do best - trying to work around it. Some firms, like Planman Consulting, have been even forced to hire extra hands to cope with the absenteeism. Rahul Wadhwani, the company’s managing partner says, “Around five to seven people constantly report sick at any given point. We have been hiring people for critical functions like sales to buffer the vacancy.” It’s a similar story elsewhere. Aarif Malik, associate VP Sampark image consultants, says, “Business plans don’t stop for people falling sick. Productivity gets affected, events and campaigns take a hit, the pressure on others increases and when deadlines aren’t met, there is a lot of angst between the client and the agency.” Authorities speak But even as citizens cope, as they have no choice but to, the authorities are going through their usual procedures. Manisha Mhaiskar, additional commissioner, BMC, lists the measures being taken to get Mumbai back on track. She says until now standard operating procedures (SOP) were not being followed properly in certain areas increasing chances of a malaria relapse. “We have activated SOPs of the national malaria programme. That apart, we are taking care of the general hygiene levels in the city, fogging aggressively and nine tankers of mosquito larvicidal oil have been procured.” But while officials rattle off all the right words, the numbers keep increasing. The government is not ready to declare it an epidemic, according to a senior official who didn’t want to be named, because such an announcement would be a huge embarrassment. It’s true that Mumbai is a “beemar shahar”, he says, but calling it that might have a serious impact on tourism and businesses, and affect normal functioning of schools, colleges and other institutions. What’s the option then? Forget the authorities, and turn to the weather gods to pray for sunshine this time. (Inputs by Geeta Desai and Ravikiran Deshmukh)
|
No comments:
Post a Comment