A day after some gas leak victims undergoing treatment at the King George Hospital (KGH) refused to go home after treatment, hospital Superintendent G. Arjuna on Wednesday said that as 250 of the 288 patients are fit for discharge.
Notwithstanding the reassurance of doctors, many patients pleaded with the doctors not to discharge them, citing persisting smell of gas in their villages and symptoms such as giddiness.
“As many as 250 of the 288 gas leak victims are fit for discharge. However, some of them want to remain in the hospital for some more time saying that there are having burning sensation in their chest, dizziness and other problems,” said Dr. Arjuna.
Some patients staged a protest at KGH on Tuesday evening alleging that they were being discharged deliberately early as the government wanted to give lesser compensation.
“Some victims have, however, expressed their readiness to get discharged and meet their family members back home,” he said.
Equipment issue
Most of the victims suffered skin rashes. An expert committee has been appointed by the government under the chairmanship of P.V. Sudhakar, principal of Andhra Medical College, to study the long-term effects on the health of the victims.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the equipment needed to perform the urine mandelic acid test is available only in Mumbai. Mandelic acid is an important metabolite of styrene. Measurement of concentration in urine helps assess overall styrene exposure, sources said.
24/7 YSR Clinic
“The expert committee will study various health aspects of the victims for a year. In addition to the area hospitals at Gopalapatnam and Pendurthi, the government is planning to construct a 24/7 YSR Clinic at Venkatapuram,” said Dr. Arjuna.
“Parents of a few children are not willing to take them home saying that gas smell is still hanging in the air. Most of the children were admitted with complaints of vomiting, loss of consciousness and lightheadedness. A few of them who are still under treatment are suffering from pneumonia, conjunctivitis and photo phobia,” said P. Venugopal, Head of the Department of Paediatrics of KGH.
Asked about the long-term effects on the health of the victims, he said the follow-up exercises would be done in regular intervals to study the impact of styrene on the health of the victims.
