'Mistakes of 2021 being repeated': Top doctors warn against inappropriate medicines, unnecessary tests
In an open letter, 32 notable doctors stated that the flaws of the 2021 reaction are being repeated this year during COVID-19 clinical management. They also advised against "abundant drug usage," claiming that it might be dangerous, as witnessed in the last two rounds of the epidemic.
FollowSenior doctors from India and overseas have advised the central and state governments against using "wrong" drugs and diagnostic procedures to combat the current COVID-19 outbreak.
In an open letter, 32 notable doctors stated that the flaws of the 2021 reaction are being repeated this year during COVID-19 clinical management. They also advised against "abundant drug usage," claiming that it might be dangerous, as witnessed in the last two rounds of the epidemic.
"Despite the weight of available information and the devastating mortality toll of the delta wave, we discover the 2021 response's failures being replicated in 2022 during the clinical care of COVID-19," the letter said. The doctors also urged the government to act and restrict the use of medications and tests that are improper for COVID-19 clinical treatment.
In their statement, the experts also stated that the "great majority of patients" who are asymptomatic or have minimal symptoms would require little or no treatment. They also emphasised that widespread drug usage has resulted in fungal illnesses such as mucormycosis in India and aspergillosis in Brazil.
The open letter further said, "Several COVID-19 kits and combinations have been included in the majority of prescriptions we have analysed in the last two weeks." The experts stated that "the use of vitamin combinations, azithromycin, doxycycline, hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir, and ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 is an unreasonable approach."
According to the experts, most COVID-19 patients will require no extra testing following the initial positive fast antigen or PCR test, except home oxygen level monitoring in select circumstances. According to the study, the Omicron version can infect people who have had the sickness before or who have been vaccinated, but their "mortality" rate will be reduced.
In asymptomatic and mild instances, CT scans and a battery of laboratory tests like d-dimer and IL-6 are frequently ordered by practitioners across the country, putting an excessive financial strain on families.
The experts cautioned that patients are being admitted to hospitals "without clinical reason," which adds to the load and results in non-COVID patients not being admitted to hospitals in an emergency. According to the letter, the government and medical groups must halt such practices. According to the letter, healthcare personnel in India rely primarily on government instructions, which have unfortunately encouraged costly tests and drugs with minimal proof. Both the general public and the medical community on social media are subjected to massive disinformation.
Also Read | Coronavirus: India’s COVID-19 surge continues with 2.64 lakh fresh cases; Omicron tally at 5,753
Dr Sanjay Nagral of Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai, Dr Cyriac Abby Phillips of the Liver Institute at Rajagiri Hospital in Kerala, Dr Rajani Bhat of Bengaluru, Dr Bharat Gopal of Delhi, and Dr Richa Gupta of Christian Medical College in Vellore all signed the letter. Some Indian-origin doctors living in the United States and Canada were also included.
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