Chest Hospital shuts doors on non-swine flu cases

[Treyfish]

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Bushra Baseerat, TNN 8 September 2009, 05:13am IST <TABLE id=printtool border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=prnt></TD><TD class=mail></TD><TD class=disc></TD><TD class=bkmark></TD><TD class=save></TD><TD class=wte></TD><TD class=ftsize>:</TD><TD class=zout onclick="fontsize('zoomout')" align=right>|</TD><TD class=zin onclick="fontsize('zoomin')"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

<!-- google_ad_section_start -->HYDERABAD: With as many as 80-100 [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]patients[/COLOR][/COLOR] pouring in a day with suspected swine flu symptoms, the AP General and Chest Hospital has little manpower <TABLE style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 4px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 8px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD id=bellyad></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 0px 0px; CLEAR: both" class=cnt width=200 align=left><TBODY></TBODY></TABLE>and machinery to attend to other routine healthcare services. Among the services now closed for `non-swine [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]flu[/COLOR][/COLOR] patients' is the Critical Care Unit (CCU), which is being used only for critical H1N1 cases.

However, on an average, the hospital gets at least six critical cases with acute, life-threatening illness or [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]injury[/COLOR][/COLOR] and these cases are being referred to Gandhi Hospital or Osmania General Hospital as the CCU beds are being reserved only for swine flu cases.

What is more, of the 36 doctors in the Chest Hospital, 27 are devoting their time to attending to the swine flu unit. The `no-entry' for other patients is being attributed to manpower and space crunch.

The move to cut down on other services is questionable as the footfall in other out-patient wards is around 800 per day.

Officials say that they are in any case witnessing a drop in general out-patients with people avoiding to step into the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]hospital[/COLOR][/COLOR] in view of the swine flu scare. Hospital authorities also admit that the H1N1 influenza is their current focus. They said that other than this, the hospital is not in a position to handle the extra load.

The hospital is the only one in the city doing [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]sleep [COLOR=blue !important]studies[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] but has now decided to put its Sleep Lab services to bed due to the shortage of manpower.

"We have cut down on our services by 25 per cent because the admission period for other critical cases is comparatively longer. So we are not in a position to admit them. We are referring non swine flu cases to OGH and Gandhi Hospital. The daily swine flu OP cases are between 80 and 100," said Dr S V Prasad, superintendent, AP General & Chest Hospital. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/hyderabad/Chest-Hospital-shuts-doors-on-non-swine-flu-cases/articleshow/4984056.cms

He added that the hospital has a capacity to handle six emergency cases and two more for oxygen therapy. The eight beds are all full with flu cases, he said. Explaining the reason for more cases coming to the hospital, Dr Prasad said that treatment of critical cases costs Rs 20,000 per day in a private hospital and thus people prefer to come here.

The hospital is turning down at least 10 requests a day from private hospitals for admitting acute pneumonia cases.

Dr Prasad said that swine flu has already reached a pandemic proportion and if the situation persists, then the hospital would require further funding and expansion would become essential.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/n...ow/4984056.cms


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[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Chest Hospital shuts doors on non-swine flu cases

Rosaiah tells officials not to be lax on swine flu
TNN 8 September 2009, 05:08am IST

HYDERABAD: Chief minister K Rosaiah on Monday held a review meeting with the minister for health and other senior officials on the prevalence of
swine flu and the measures needed to be taken to contain its spread. While assuring the people that there was no need for panic, Rosaiah asked the officials to take all necessary steps for early detection and treatment of the disease.

The chief minister said the officials should always be alert and take all measures to see that there is no let up in the drive against swine flu. He said funds would not be a problem in tackling swine flu and asked the health department to re-appropriate funds if needed and not to hesitate in seeking additional funds as and when required.

The meeting decided to continue the preventive checks at the Shamshabad airport and, if needed, strengthen facilities at gateway hospitals on inter-state routes. He said awareness should be created among people about early symptoms if the flu.

Rosaiah told the officials that there were complaints from doctors about shortage of masks and directed them to solve the problem. He also advised the health minister to call for a coordination meeting of the GHMC officials and health department officials to review the health and hygienic conditions in the city following heavy rains and water stagnation at many places and waterlogging in the low lying areas. He said immediate steps should be taken for fogging in these areas. Rosaiah said ten ventilators have been sanctioned for Gandhi Hospital.
The total positive cases reported are 215 so far of which 200 have been discharged and 11 are in critical condition. There were 4 deaths.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/hyderabad/Rosaiah-tells-officials-not-to-be-lax-on-swine-flu/articleshow/4984066.cms