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Health hazard: arsenicosis misdiagnosed |
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News |
June 24, 2000
Dhaka, (UNB)- Amid a nationwide alarm raised on the mass chemical poisoning, many are being subject to social problems for faulty diagnosis of arsenic patients.
Abdur Rahman, a degree student of Gabindapur village in Hatibari union of Manikganj district, says he is one among of those who fell victim of misdiagnosis.
Several non-governmental organizations are doing the job under a donor-aided drive to check tubewell waters and identify arsenic patients following detection of the scourge.
Sources at the Dhaka Community Hospital, a pioneer in identifying arsenicosis patients and tubewell waters contaminated with arsenic in the country, said they exposed the misdiagnosed results.
In Kachua, Grameen Bank identified 48 people as arsenicosis patients while DCH found only one of them affected.
In Manikganj Sadar, ISDCM diagnosed 72 while DCH found only two after recheck as they were provided with the patent lists by the NGOS, said Dr Bashir Ahmed Badal, manager of the DCH-run arsenic project.
“The misdiagnosis occurred, might be, because the investigation was conducted either by field workers or paramedics instead of physicians,” Dr Badal told UNB.
He said BRAC engaged doctors in arsenic diagnosis so misdiagnosis is few.
In total, DCH has identified 120 arsenic patients in Bera, 240 Kachua and 316 Jhikargacha thanas. In Manikganj, DCH so surveyors have so far clinically found 24 arsenicosis aces, 15 of them laboratory confirmed. Their investigation in Manikganj Sadar will finish in a couple of days.
Forty-two doctors of DCH divided in field-screening and laboratory-test groups are working for identifying arsenic patients and management with a title “Developing and Implementing Protocols of Management of Arsenicosis” under government-UNICEF joint project.
Under the government-UNICEF arsenic project BRAC, Grameen Bank and Integrated Service for Development of Children and Mother (ISDCM) are working in four thanas for testing arsenic in tubewell waters and identifying arsenic patients in four thanas. DCH is identifying arsenic patients and their management in the four thanas.
Bera of Pabna district, Kachua of Chandpur, Jhikhorgacha of Jessore and Manikgonj Sadar thana are the project areas in first phase.
ISDCM identified Rahman, student of Kouri MA Rab Degree College in Harirampur of Manikganj, as arsenic patient. But actually he was not an arsenic patient but had skin scabies.
He was met on Thursday at his village home. There were no signs of arsenicosis, like melanosis, leukomelanosis and keratosis, found in his body.
He told UNB and some newsmen that two and half a month back, some of ISDCM detected arsenic above permissible level in their tubewell.
Then they wanted to see palms of his two hands. “Without observing any other parts of my body they said I was affected with arsenic as I had scabies in my hands,” said Rahman.
Thereafter, a nervous Rahman went to a local doctor and took a skin disease-curing lotion. And he got cured within 3-4 days.
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