Treyfish
Moderator
<SMALL>Published: September 13, 2009 </SMALL>
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RAWALPINDI - After three cases of swine flu were tested positive in Pakistan and the country is considering
vulnerable to the disease, the swine flu test kits are not available in city?s allied hospitals to tackle swine flu.
Dr Musadiq, Principal of Rawalpindi Medical College and allied hospitals, while talking to TheNation said that
swine flu could be diagnosed through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests, adding that PCR test kits are
available only with the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad.
?Swine flu detection kits are not available in the allied hospitals; however, doctors? protective kits which included
mask, gown, gloves and isolation barriers (protective lotions) are present at allied hospitals,? Dr Musadiq
added.
He also apprised that he had sent requests for demand of test kit to the NIH but the kits yet to be received.
?Owing to the financial constraints, especially because of limited resources, and lot of other reasons hindered
the availability of costly machinery at government run hospitals,? Dr Musadiq lamented.
However, he negated the impression that the non-availability of detection kits at allied hospitals causes delay in
treatment of patients.
Talking to The Nation Dr Kashif Bukhari disclosed that in August last the World Health Organisation officials
showed apprehension that the global spread of swine flu would endanger more lives as it speeds up in coming
months and they asked Pakistan government that they should boost preparations for a swift response coming ?explosion? of cases.
However, he admitted that in Rawalpindi serious attempts were not made by the quarters concerned to cope
with the upcoming peril of the disease.
- Dr Kashif Bukhari said that in last 10 days of Ramazan the devotees from Saudi Arabia would return Pakistan,
meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Pakistani nationals would also return homeland from all around the world
on the eve of Eidul Fitar and it would be the time when this disease would get momentum in Pakistan.
It is pertinent to note here that city?s allied hospitals also lack quarantine rooms, where the swine flu patients are
kept under close observation. Meanwhile, DG Health Abdur Rasheed Juma had also instructed the heads of all
hospitals to advice doctors and paramedics to wear masks while attending to patients, however, the doctors
and other staffers are also not following these directives.
- It is worth mentioning here that swine flu is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of pigs and the virus is
spread among pigs by aerosols, direct and indirect contact, and asymptomatic carrier pigs.
According to the independent statistics, 205,785 people were infected during the latest spree of swine flu
whereas approximately 2,000 deaths were reported worldwide. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, so far, three cases of
swine flu are tested as positive.
:tiphat:http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-n...p-2009/Hospitals-without-swine-flu-test-kits/