Swine flu claims two more lives in city

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 14

Two deaths due to swine flu were reported from the hospitals in the city today.

One of the patients belonged to Moga, while another was from Muktsar Sahib. One of the patients was admitted to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), while another was admitted to the Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH).

District Epidemiologist Dr Ramesh said two swine flu deaths have been reported from the city. “The patient admitted to DMCH had left against medical advice (LAMA) and gone back and succumbed to the flu after reaching home. Another patient died at CMCH,” Dr Ramesh said.

With this, the toll of swine flu deaths has reached four. A cloth trader from Tarn Taran was the first one to lose his life to swine flu in October. The second patient who succumbed to flu was a pregnant woman named Jyoti. She belonged to Sri Muktsar Sahib and lost her life after giving birth to a baby girl. Both patients were admitted to DMCH.

‘Protection kits not received from Health Dept’

As the cases of swine flu are springing up, some hospitals complained that they had not received protection kits from the department. However, authorities at DMCH and CMCH expressed satisfaction over receiving help from the department.

Dr Ankush Mehta, Medical Superintendent, Fortis Hospital, Ludhiana, said they have not received any protection kit from the department and had got the vaccination of their staff on their own.

All other things such as masks and gowns were also purchased by the hospital themselves. Dr Mehta said even last year they did not receive any material from the department.

“We have licence for purchasing Tamiflu medicine that is essential for testing swine flu so we do not get the supply of the medicine from the department but buy it on our own,” he said.

Fortis Hospital, Ludhiana, has two separate isolation rooms with ventilators and the entire staff has been vaccinated against the flu.

Dr Sushil Gupta, nodal officer for swine flu at Deep Hospital said they had yet not received any protection kit from the department and have also not received any patient so far.

Guru Teg Bahadur Charitable Hospital is also ready for swine flu patients but like other hospitals, it also has not received any kits from the department.

Medical superintendent of GTB (C) Hospital, Dr RS Sodhi said the hospital has not received any kits from the department.

There is a separate isolation ward at CMCH with 20 beds and are six ventilators. DMCH has 25 ventilators and four-bed isolation ward.

‘Hospitals not cooperating’

Dr Ramesh said hospitals were not cooperating with the department properly. “Last week, the department called a meeting of the nodal officers for swine flu from all city hospitals, but some hospitals instead of sending nodal officers sent another staff member and the real purpose of the meeting was lost.”

He said hospitals have to send their demand to the department so that they can be provided with the material.

“Some hospitals who are complaining of not receiving the kits had sent the demand for vaccination for the entire hospital staff which is not possible for the department as it can provide vaccination only to those doctors and staff who are on duty in the swine flu ward,” he said.

He said hospitals should send their request to the department and collect their kits.