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Organisation (WHO) have recommended steps for easy diagnosis of pneumonia so that even in the villages, where doctors are not available, a layman can diagnose this disease. Basically the WHO has categorized three types of pneumonia-- (i)No pneumonia (ii)Pneumonia- the treatment of which is Septron and (iii)Severe Pneumonia In this case the GOI recommends that if the person is trained he/she should administer ampicillin- gentamycin to the patient and refer the patient to a specialist. Dr. S. N. Rastogi, Paediatrician and Child Cardiologist of Lucknow says, Treatment depends on the causative agents which could be bacteria or even non bacteria. Thus the treatment differs. In India the most common pneumonia is tubercular pneumonia. For treating pneumonia we can give streptomycin. Dr. S. K. Sehta, who has worked for a number of years in renowned public as well as private hospitals of Lucknow and Delhi, says, The WHO recommendations are being followed in government hospitals. GOI and the WHO focus on the concerns of the masses. Hence Septron is a very good and cheap treatment for pneumonia and is recommended by GOI in the rural areas. However in the private sector individual concern is more important for us and we are observing high resistance to Septron. So we choose to give stronger antibiotics. . According to Dr. Neelam Singh, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and Chief Functionary of Vatsalya Resource Centre on Health, acute respiratory tract infections treatment in children is a part of the Comprehensive Child Survival programme in many States. However, the kind of awareness drive that is needed for pneumonia prevention is lacking. There is still a lot of ignorance and a special drive needs to be conducted to spread awareness. Pneumonia is a major life threatening disease of children after diarrhoea. Time, advice, treatment, cost of treatment and other factors are responsible for the disparity between the treatments administered in the government and private hospitals. The government has made great progress in this field and now these treatments are available in government hospitals too. However, the pressure of large number of patients, shortage of experts, lack of infrastructure, and non availability of medicines are some of the concerns in the public health system that need attention. A quintessential example of how improper management of pneumonia in children can lead to severe complications comes from the story of Atharva, a 3 years old child who was recuperating in the paediatric wing of the Chattrapati Sahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU and erstwhile King Georges Medical College) when I met him in the first week of October, 2011. His parents had sought prompt medical treatment in the private sector at the first sign of pneumonia. But they ran from one nursing home to another, while the condition of Atharva deteriorated. They felt that the doctors were interested only in extracting money from them, before finally giving up on the child. As a last resort, they took him to CSMMU, a government hospital, on the 4th of August. He finally responded to some 2|Treat Pneumonia Wit h The Wonder Drugs
latest antibiotic available in the market and his condition stabilised. This is a classic example of how we in India, tend to generally undermine the government health system, which, despite its inherent drawbacks, is capable of providing the best of care to critically ill patients. The Global Action Plan for the prevention and control of pneumonia (GAPP) launched in 2009, aims to accelerate pneumonia control with a combination of interventions to protect, prevent, and treat pneumonia in children. Let us all join hands to ensure that every sick child has access to the right kind of care and treatment for pneumonia.
This article is part of a Citizen News Service (CNS) series in lead up to the World Pneumonia Day, 12 November 2011. The project was managed by Abhinav Bharat Foundation and funded by the 2011 Small Grants for World Pneumonia Day Advocacy Program. We are grateful to the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, GAVI Alliance, Global Alliance for Clean Stoves, and Best Shot Foundation for their support. We would like to thank all those who were interviewed as part of this project and who took the time to share their views.
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