Firozabad: It’s a sight that is hard to miss as you walk around the lanes of villages and the main city of Firozabad, where an outbreak of dengue and four other diseases has been reported: Patients lying on charpoys, by the road, with intravenous drips attached to their wrists.
These are patients who are being tended to by quacks, commonly known as “jhola-chhap” doctors (those who carry a shoulder-slung bag). The term is applied to non-MBBS practitioners or ayurvedic, homoeopathic doctors prescribing Western medicine at their “clinics” around the district.
Firozabad district is currently reeling under outbreaks of five infections — dengue, malaria, scrub typhus, leptospirosis and viral fever — which have claimed at least 62 lives (80 per cent of them children) since first emerging in late August.
Speaking to ThePrint, several patients recounted different reasons for approaching quacks, who charge between Rs 2,500 and Rs 4,000 for a two or three-day treatment course. Among the primary complaints are the alleged lack of attention provided at government health facilities, and the expensive treatments available at private hospitals.
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‘Same treatment, easier access’
Some residents point out that the quacks practise in their neighbourhood, which means it is easier to access them than wait for a bed at hospitals while “pleading with doctors for attention”.
While the State Autonomous District Hospital claims half of its beds are available, ThePrint found up to two patients sharing many beds in the dengue ward last week.
Meanwhile, over a three-day visit, ThePrint spotted several quacks offering treatment to dengue patients at their ‘clinics’. There were at least six ‘clinics’ in Makhanpur village, two at Mahadev Nagar in Firozabad city, and two near the Ghadi Tewari village.
“They (quacks) are giving the same treatment near our houses that we would’ve received at a hospital. The only difference between doctors and these jhola-chhaps is that they don’t have a degree. While our children have died in hospitals, these doctors have saved a lot of lives in our community,” said Bhanu Kumar Gupta, a pharmacist in Firozabad’s Makhanpur.
While the faith many local residents have in quacks seems unwavering, the latter claim they don’t attempt to substitute doctors and only try to resolve initial symptoms.
District authorities, meanwhile, insist they are doing their best to ensure proper healthcare for patients at government facilities.
‘Degree or not, he’s helped my child’
Toofan Singh, whose six-year-old son Sumit is suffering from viral fever and taking treatment from a quack, said “nobody even looks at you in a government hospital”.
“There are no facilities there, you have to share beds with patients. So, I got my child here. I don’t care if the doctor has no degree. Whatever medicine he’s given has helped my child feel better, so I’m satisfied,” he added.
Gauri Shankar, 60, whose wife is afflicted with dengue, said he visited the district hospital but got no help there.
“I went there two days ago, but nobody paid any attention to my wife,” he told ThePrint last week. “They gave us paracetamol and asked us to return to the village. She got no relief there. Now with the help of doctor sahib, my wife feels much better.”
The quacks, however, claim they don’t attempt to treat serious diseases like dengue, and only administer first-aid treatment for fever or dehydration before referring patients to hospitals.
“I am only giving paracetamol for fever and administering glucose drips for dehydration. I know dengue treatment is not my cup of tea so I refer people outside,” said a quack who didn’t wish to be named. He claimed to have a Bachelor’s degree in Homoeopathy Medicine and Surgery.
Asked about the trend, Firozabad Chief Medical Officer Dinesh Kumar Premi said on 23 September that the authorities are doing their best to cater adequately to the outbreaks.
“The number of patients at SN Medical College (another name for the district hospital) has come down to 270 from a peak of 470. This is not only because the graph of the disease is showing a downward path, but also because we’ve been admitting people even at Community Health Centres and Primary Health Centres for the entire day and giving necessary treatment on time, without any cost,” he said.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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