Hyderabad: To ward off Covid-19, many take to playing own doctor

HYDERABAD: The fear of not being able to get hospital beds if needed or not being able to afford them is driving many people suffering from coronavirus-like symptoms to self-medicate. Such practices include the use of prescription drugs, stocking up medical equipment and watching online videos among others.
“People are hoarding oxygen and other drugs because there is a shortage of these and they fear that they will not get medical help when required.This indirectly reflects the scarcity of hospital beds and the prohibitive cost of hospital treatment,” said Dr Pradyut Waghray, chief pulmonologist, at Kunal Institute of Medical Specialities.

Social stigma is another factor keeping many from seeking help. “In many cases, patients do not reveal their history. They don’t want to be identified as a Covid-19 patient. Elderly patients are especially worried that if they die and people know that they had Covid-19, their last rites will not be performed. It is a cultural concern. As a result, a lot of patients are self-medicating. In a few instances, patients who were already on oxygen were found to have been enrolled in our home quarantine packages. We had to discontinue the practice when we found that it can lead to medio-legal issues,” said Dr Parbin Moktab, medical superintendent at Care Hospitals, Banjara Hills, adding that self-medication can have serious consequences and poses a higher risk to the patient’s health.
Further, not wanting to be identified as a Covid-19 patient is making many turn to the internet for help with medicines such as hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) which can have serious side-effects. Not knowing the health markers can expose an asymptomatic patient to silent cardiac arrests or other issues that may go unnoticed according to doctors.
“There are other risks of trying to set up medical equipment by watching videos. For instance, setting up an oxygen cylinder at home requires technical precision and can even lead to the connector bursting if the pressure is not accurate and the oxygen released is more. While most ward boys know how to fit these equipment and many people take their help, trying to do it on your own can have serious consequences,” said Dr Sanjeev Singh Yadav, state secretary, Indian Medical Association.