Ward for swine flu patients restarts

NAGPUR: Although the death toll of H1N1 patients admitted in both government hospitals in the city has touched 10, most patients are from neigbouring towns and cities. Authorities continue to insist that there is no cause to panic. However, in case of increase in inflow of patients to and from the city, the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has restarted a 20-bed dedicated isolation ward since last Sunday for swine flu.

Speaking to TOI, GMCH dean, Dr R M Powar said that although GMCH is prepared to handle swine flu patients, it is unfortunate that almost all patients are reaching the hospital in a bad condition.

"Private and government doctors in the district and other towns should first start treating any suspected case with tamiflu and not wait for the report of blood sample or for the condition to worsen before referring to GMCH. Two pregnant women as well as two other patients who died at GMCH came in morbid conditions," he said.

At present, GMCH has three ventilators in ward No. 25. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has offered to lend one while the directorate of medical education and research has initiated the process for procuring five more for GMCH and two for the super specialty hospital. Dr Powar said that the hospital has the necessary infrastructure as well as medicine stock.

The dean feels that compared to Mumbai, Pune and other cities in western Maharashtra, the death toll in the region is negligible and that there is no reason to panic. Since people have already been exposed to the virus once, the threat will be lesser now. Since deaths at GMCH are from outside the city and from isolated places, the disease has become like any other viral disease.

"It is more important to see that we have successfully treated almost all patients who were brought with initial infection stage," the dean said. Four doctors at GMCH and three from the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College have recovered well from the infection.

Dr Y B Bansod, professor and head of the medicine department said that WHO has declared that the swine flu pandemic is over and that India's management of the disease has been appreciated.

Of the ten deaths since April, eight, including five at GMCH, have taken place in the last fortnight.

Two patients, Dhulichand Narnavare (56) from Jaripatka and Prakash Chaoji from Mahal died at a nursing home in Jaripatka and one patient (Kamal Jaiswani) from Jabalpur, who was brought on a ventilator to the Orange City Hospital and Research Institute (OCHRI), died in the last four days.

Five deaths at GMCH (between August 5 to 12) include 2 pregnant women, one each from Kalmeshwar and Mouda. They were brought in a critical condition.

Three other patients, a 15-year-old boy suffering from blood cancer from Kamptee, another from Ashti and one from Mouda too were brought in a serious condition. These were declared swine flu deaths as their H1N1 status report arrived three days after their death.

Read more: Ward for swine flu patients restarts - Nagpur - City - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Ward-for-swine-flu-patients-restarts/articleshow/6328330.cms#ixzz0wwLZwLr3