Upsurge in H1N1 cases land city hospitals in fix

[Ronan Kelly]

Swine Flu
Affluent not keen on treatment at Civil Hospital
Anshu Seth
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 21
The district health authorities are facing a predicament as people coming from affluent backgrounds with severe swine flu symptoms are refusing to get admitted to the isolation ward at Civil Hospital here.

With the wards of the DMCH, CMCH, SPS Apollo Hospital full to capacity, the patients are not ready to go to other charitable hospitals or Civil Hospital. They instead insist to take their patient to the PGI, Chandigarh.
Sohan Singh, a Canada-based NRI who was consulting the DMCH doctors for his cardiac problem, developed symptoms of H1N1 infection yesterday, but could not be admitted in the hospital. Sohan Singh's son Parminder Singh said, "My father developed respiratory problem with high grade fever today and we took him to the DMCH, but he was refused admission due to non-availability of beds. There are no beds available in SPS Apollo hospital also thus we have no choice but to take him to PGI, Chandigarh."

He also complained that the health authorities have failed to provide a solution to them, adding, "shifting my father to a good instate should be their responsibility. Instead we are left to deal with the problem on our own."

However, district epidemiologist Dr GP Mangla said he had repeatedly asked the patient's family to get Sohan Singh admitted to Civil Hospital Ludhiana but the family refused to comply. "Since the family was adamant to get the patient admitted in a private hospital, we gave them the choice to take him to Mohan Dai Oswal Hospital, but the family refused. Keeping in mind the "gravity" of the situation, we will have to take police help against the suspected cases and their families who fail to comply.

Speaking in his capacity of the district nodal official for swine flu, Dr Mangla said the department would be forced to take legal action against the families of the suspected swine flu cases who are taking the patients from one hospital to another without informing the authorities, as it will result in further spread of the virus.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20091222/ldh1.htm#1

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Private hospitals full - Affluent not keen on treatment at Civil Hospital - Punjab

Re: Private hospitals full - Affluent not keen on treatment at Civil Hospital - Punjab

Upsurge in H1N1 cases land city hospitals in fix
Simran Virk, TNN 4 January 2010, 10:10pm ISTText Size:|Topics:hospitals
Swine flu

LUDHIANA: The onslaught of swine flu continues in the city as new cases are pouring in city hospitals, however, the hospitals are unable to cope up with the increasing number of swine flu patients as there is a need for more beds and isolation rooms. The patients? relatives have to move from pillar to post to get their relatives examined. Till now, 204 swine flu cases have been reported in the state.

Though, to reduce the burden of private hospitals the state government has opened a 24-hour OPD for swine flu patients in the city, that has not served the purpose. The rise in swine flu cases due to winters has landed the health department in a chaotic situation. The government hospitals, not equipped to handle so many cases have to refer patients to private hospitals.

According to the information, there are 1,041 beds in the isolation rooms, out of these, 437 beds fall in the civil hospital, while 604 are in private hospitals. As far as ventilators are concerned, total 160 are available, out of this, 86 are in the government hospitals and 74 in private hospitals.

Dr Kamal Masih, medical superintendent, Christian Medical College and hospital said it is true that all the isolation wards are full. He said sometimes a patient comes with acute respiratory problem where he or she needs ventilator, however, due to the non-availability of bed or ventilator, the patient has to be referred to some other hospital.
Dr Masih added that two of the patients have been referred to another hospital, as the occupancy of the isolation rooms was full.

Echoing a similar view, Dr PS Bhatia, medical superintendent, Apollo Hospital said this was the situation in every hospital, nowadays. ?Six beds include two for critically ill patients, while four accrue to only those who need isolation. These have been generally full as every day more than the capacity, four to five patients come in,? he said.

Dr GP Mangla, district epidemiologist, told the TOI that it was true that these days the hospitals were going through a tough time in admitting patients, as in every hospital the occupancy was 100%. Dr Mangla said that a couple of weeks back, in a meeting with the principal health secretary, the civil surgeon, Ludhiana, said it was very difficult to accommodate patients, as already the city population was booming and along with that burden of the surroundings areas was adding dimensions to the problem of city hospitals.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...city-hospitals-in-fix/articleshow/5410843.cms