tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
If you think you have contracted dengue, chikungunya and H1N1 suffer it out. It could take as long as two weeks to obtain a test result to find out if you actually have either of those diseases or nothing but a common flu.
Sriramulu believes rapid tests are insufficient to establish the nature of the fever
The state health department has made it mandatory for hospitals to conduct the ELISA test on patients with symptoms of dengue, chikungunya and H1N1. A laboratory report on a sample can be obtained between 24-to-78 hours, but the health department has ordered all tests to be conducted at only three hospitals - Victoria Hospital, Institute of Public Health and National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS).
Doctors in the city say they receive at least 15 cases of people who suspect they have contracted the diseases every day. The three hospitals selected do not have the capability to cope with the demand. It all makes for a very long queue!
A senior doctor at Victoria Hospital, who did not want to be named, said: ?We have not just been receiving dengue and chikungunya, but also malaria and H1N1 patients. Patients from other districts also want to be treated here. Hospitals are already filled to capacity and the National Institute of Virology is flooded with samples. Now if all samples from private hospitals start coming in, it could lead to a major crisis because labs cannot cope with the demand.?
Until now, private hospitals were authorised to conduct rapid tests on patients, but Health Minister B Sriramulu believes the tests are not accurate enough.
?All these days rapid tests were conducted on patients, but that is insufficient to establish the nature of the fever. An ELISA test would give us a correct result,? he told reporters.
Sources in the health department, however, reveal the decision to make ELISA tests mandatory was to crackdown on the monopoly of private nursing homes and hospitals in treating these diseases.
A senior official from the department says the government is worried that if the number of deaths attributed to dengue and chikungunya rise, it could cause widespread panic.
?Although the media has reported deaths due to these diseases, we have had no information on the exact cause of death. Private hospitals refuse to divulge exact details on the cause of death. But with ELISA, it would be clear,? he said.
But the three hospitals chosen by the government to conduct the tests already have a huge backlog of samples and are only capable of handling about 160 cases every day.
Dr H Paramesh, President, Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA) believes the government and private hospitals ought to work seamlessly.
?The rapid tests were cleared by the government of India and the Drug Controller of India. According to guidelines provided by the nine-member committee formed by the state government, if the test is positive in the second rapid test it can be accepted. Private hospitals are capable of testing 1,000 samples every day. We should be utilised just as we were when H1N1 broke out,? he said.
Dist health officers are responsible!
Sriramulu, who was severely criticised for dragging his feet instead of quickly tackling the dengue and chikungunya problem, will now hold District Health Officers or District Surgeons responsible if deaths due to the diseases are reported.
?Henceforth in case of any death due to any of these diseases in future, the District Health Officers or District Surgeons will be held responsible. They should ensure that the medical facilities are provided 24X7 for patients,?? he said.
The minister was reportedly angry with measures undertaken by the BBMPs health wing.
?The minister believes lack of hygiene was the reason behind the spread of these diseases,? an official said. ?In several areas, the BBMP has dug up roads and drains for laying pipelines. These areas are ideal mosquito breeding centres. He directed the BBMP to clean these areas.?
http://www.bangaloremirror.com/arti...9041d416be5/Wait-15-days-for-dengue-test.html
Sriramulu believes rapid tests are insufficient to establish the nature of the fever
The state health department has made it mandatory for hospitals to conduct the ELISA test on patients with symptoms of dengue, chikungunya and H1N1. A laboratory report on a sample can be obtained between 24-to-78 hours, but the health department has ordered all tests to be conducted at only three hospitals - Victoria Hospital, Institute of Public Health and National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS).
Doctors in the city say they receive at least 15 cases of people who suspect they have contracted the diseases every day. The three hospitals selected do not have the capability to cope with the demand. It all makes for a very long queue!
A senior doctor at Victoria Hospital, who did not want to be named, said: ?We have not just been receiving dengue and chikungunya, but also malaria and H1N1 patients. Patients from other districts also want to be treated here. Hospitals are already filled to capacity and the National Institute of Virology is flooded with samples. Now if all samples from private hospitals start coming in, it could lead to a major crisis because labs cannot cope with the demand.?
Until now, private hospitals were authorised to conduct rapid tests on patients, but Health Minister B Sriramulu believes the tests are not accurate enough.
?All these days rapid tests were conducted on patients, but that is insufficient to establish the nature of the fever. An ELISA test would give us a correct result,? he told reporters.
Sources in the health department, however, reveal the decision to make ELISA tests mandatory was to crackdown on the monopoly of private nursing homes and hospitals in treating these diseases.
A senior official from the department says the government is worried that if the number of deaths attributed to dengue and chikungunya rise, it could cause widespread panic.
?Although the media has reported deaths due to these diseases, we have had no information on the exact cause of death. Private hospitals refuse to divulge exact details on the cause of death. But with ELISA, it would be clear,? he said.
But the three hospitals chosen by the government to conduct the tests already have a huge backlog of samples and are only capable of handling about 160 cases every day.
Dr H Paramesh, President, Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA) believes the government and private hospitals ought to work seamlessly.
?The rapid tests were cleared by the government of India and the Drug Controller of India. According to guidelines provided by the nine-member committee formed by the state government, if the test is positive in the second rapid test it can be accepted. Private hospitals are capable of testing 1,000 samples every day. We should be utilised just as we were when H1N1 broke out,? he said.
Dist health officers are responsible!
Sriramulu, who was severely criticised for dragging his feet instead of quickly tackling the dengue and chikungunya problem, will now hold District Health Officers or District Surgeons responsible if deaths due to the diseases are reported.
?Henceforth in case of any death due to any of these diseases in future, the District Health Officers or District Surgeons will be held responsible. They should ensure that the medical facilities are provided 24X7 for patients,?? he said.
The minister was reportedly angry with measures undertaken by the BBMPs health wing.
?The minister believes lack of hygiene was the reason behind the spread of these diseases,? an official said. ?In several areas, the BBMP has dug up roads and drains for laying pipelines. These areas are ideal mosquito breeding centres. He directed the BBMP to clean these areas.?
http://www.bangaloremirror.com/arti...9041d416be5/Wait-15-days-for-dengue-test.html