Monday, July 26, 2010

Swine flu adds to gastro agony

LUDHIANA: With the first case of swine flu being reported from Jalandhar, it seems that the health department is not concerned much as the isolation ward meant for swine flu patients is being used for gastro patients.

It seems that the monsoon is already keeping the health department on toes as the gastroenteritis cases are pouring in along with the new scare of the H1N1.

After Lovepreet Singh from Jalandhar tested positive for H1N1 from Regional Testing Lab Department of Virology, his became first case in Punjab this year.

While giving information, one of the officials of the health department said that already the guidelines had been sent to all the districts to get prepared for any kind of emergency. He added that for this all the hospitals had been told to maintain isolation rooms, along with the ventilators.

On the condition of anonymity, one of the medical officer at Civil Hospital said that there was a permanent isolation room but due to high number of gastro cases, it was being used for them.

According to the information last year during the swine flu outbreak in the state, a total of 1,041 beds in the isolation wards were there. Of these, 437 were with civil hospitals while 604 were with the private hospitals. As far as ventilators were concerned, a total of 160 were available and out of this 86 were in the government and 74 in private hospitals.

Dr Deepak Bhatia, state nodal officer, National Integrated Surveillance Department, said that already all the districts had been issued the directions to get ready and make all the necessary arrangements. He added that last week all the districts had been issued the directions to make necessary arrangements.

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