Ronan Kelly
Retired 2020
Ventilators for dist hosps: Govt slow off the block
Umesh Isalkar, TNN 13 September 2009, 05:27am IST
PUNE: Some 15 days after the state government decided to immediately install 30 ventilators at district and sub-district hospitals an urgent need
after several H1N1 flu deaths were reported from rural areas the equipment is still to be acquired.
After the spate of H1N1 casualties in rural parts of the state, a decision to install 30 ventilators at district and sub-district hospitals was taken a fortnight ago. Doctors working there were even trained in treating critical patients on ventilator.
But the ventilators are yet to be installed. Critical patients from rural areas still have to travel long distances to get admitted to government-run medical college and hospitals in cities.
"The decision to install ventilators at district and sub-district hospitals is a good move. But there is a need to install the ventilators immediately as quite a large number of swine flu cases are being reported from rural areas. As the virus is getting entrenched there, a growing number of critical patients from the rural areas are being admitted to hospitals in cities," Devendra Shirole, former president of the state unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), said.
Echoing the view, Dilip Sarda, president of the IMA's city unit, pointed out, "A total of 24 districts in the state have reported H1N1 cases. Of the 77 deaths in the state, 25 were reported from the countryside."
When contacted, DS Dakhure, director of state health services, said, "A purchase order for the ventilators was issued over 10 days ago. We are in the process of procuring them and will definitely speed up the process. All the 30 ventilators will be installed in the next five days."
State scenario
Infected districts: 24
Non-infected districts: 9
Deaths: 77
Deaths in cities: 52
In rural parts: 25
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...vt-slow-off-the-block/articleshow/5004336.cms
Umesh Isalkar, TNN 13 September 2009, 05:27am IST
PUNE: Some 15 days after the state government decided to immediately install 30 ventilators at district and sub-district hospitals an urgent need
after several H1N1 flu deaths were reported from rural areas the equipment is still to be acquired.
After the spate of H1N1 casualties in rural parts of the state, a decision to install 30 ventilators at district and sub-district hospitals was taken a fortnight ago. Doctors working there were even trained in treating critical patients on ventilator.
But the ventilators are yet to be installed. Critical patients from rural areas still have to travel long distances to get admitted to government-run medical college and hospitals in cities.
"The decision to install ventilators at district and sub-district hospitals is a good move. But there is a need to install the ventilators immediately as quite a large number of swine flu cases are being reported from rural areas. As the virus is getting entrenched there, a growing number of critical patients from the rural areas are being admitted to hospitals in cities," Devendra Shirole, former president of the state unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), said.
Echoing the view, Dilip Sarda, president of the IMA's city unit, pointed out, "A total of 24 districts in the state have reported H1N1 cases. Of the 77 deaths in the state, 25 were reported from the countryside."
When contacted, DS Dakhure, director of state health services, said, "A purchase order for the ventilators was issued over 10 days ago. We are in the process of procuring them and will definitely speed up the process. All the 30 ventilators will be installed in the next five days."
State scenario
Infected districts: 24
Non-infected districts: 9
Deaths: 77
Deaths in cities: 52
In rural parts: 25
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...vt-slow-off-the-block/articleshow/5004336.cms