Don’t self medicate, don’t dither

This second wave of covid pandemic has taught us many lessons; and these cover many realms of our lives. One of the lessons learnt, and very hard way, is the importance of knowing when to consult a doctor. We have seen, in this wave, that many deaths were attributed to the delayed consultations. Many covid positive patients first ignored symptoms, later tried to manage them at home without consulting a doctor, and only too late, when the condition worsened, did they visit a hospital. The result of this wrong handling of the disease was that such patients had real tough time at hospitals, even after they were discharged. And in many of such cases we had the unfortunate result – death of the patient. In fact the rising cases of mortality, many believe, can be attributed to this. Some doctors opine that even now those who are struggling in hospitals are the ones who didn’t consult a doctor timely, and dithered to visit a covid centre. This is a serious concern and we need to sensitise people on this. The concerned departments, and some doctors at individual level, try to disseminate information on how to manage this disease in case it hits a person. One of the prominent guidelines is to  consult a doctor early and avoid self-medication. This wrong practice of trying to be one’s own doctor, and taking medicine without prescription, is detrimental to health. In  a situation like this pandemic, where even the specialists are struggling to treat this infection, and consequent complications, it is almost suicidal to resort to self medication. Among the many guidelines that have been issued by the government, and the concerned institutions, the importance of early attention to symptoms, and  an immediate visit to a hospital is crucial to minimising mortalities. Media has also tried to publicise all such guidelines, and it is now for a common person to heed such advice. This infection, with the mutations that happen to the virus, is not easy to handle. We shouldn’t jeopardise our lives by acting in ways that are contrary to the guidelines issued time to time by doctors.