BP patients shoot up! n Sudden rise in the number of persons with hypertension, diabetes in city
   Date :19-Mar-2021

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Principal Correspondent :
 
With these fake co-morbids, such persons are likely to lose their health insurance
 
 
THERE is a sudden spike in patients of hypertension in Nagpur! The rise has nothing to do with the increasing coronavirus patients, nor is it related to anxiety about the second wave. Hypertension (highblood pressure) is being used as a reason by many people under the age of 60 to avail COVID-19 vaccine as a co-morbid person. In the present phase of COVID vaccination, people above 60 years of age are only eligible apart from those above 45 years of age with co-morbidity. But this rule is being violated by most people as they got themselves vaccinated despite being ineligible as far as age limit is concerned.
 
Those age-wise ineligible persons approaching vaccination centres with a certificate from doctor endorsing them as diabetic or hypertensive etc. Government is running the vaccination drive in a systematic manner. In the first phase, all the frontline healthworkers were given the vaccine. In the present or the second phase, the Government is vaccinating elderly people above 60 years of age. People are thronging the vaccination centres in city to get vaccinated early. There is fear about the virus. People feel, if they get vaccinated they would b esafe which is true. But, senior medicos say, it is unethical on the part of people not attaining the prescribed age, going for vaccination.
 
Another issue related to the vaccination drive where below age people are taking the jab is of health insurance. Suppose a person, who got himself insured for health two years ago without any co-morbidity, now getting certified by the doctor as hypertensive or asthmatic or diabetic. Since the process of vaccination is Aadhaar-linked every details are getting registered everywhere. This particular trend has surprised insurance companies too.
 
According to Milind Khasnis, Director, Khasnis Prime Wealth Pvt Limited, this is the violation of rule. “In the first place those having age below the prescribed one without any co-morbidity should not take vaccine. If they are showing co-morbidity to take the vaccine then there are chances that the related insurance company would reject their claim on the grounds of hiding the information. But this practice is not good,” said Khasnis.