New Delhi, Aug 7 (Inditop.com) Gate keepers, security men, doctors and even the visiting media personnel were all wearing surgical masks at the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital here as hundreds of people — from pregnant women to students — flocked to the swine flu testing centre Friday.
Since Thursday morning, around 500 people from the city state and adjoining satellite townships of Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad have visited the hospital to get themselves tested – “mostly as a precautionary measure”.
“Yesterday (Thursday) we had 325 visitors and till 1 p.m. (Friday) we have registered 149 cases. While we sent samples of 79 people for testing yesterday, today 28 samples for testing have been dispatched,” S.K. Sharma, medical officer of RML, told Inditop.
At least six people were admitted to the hospital.
“The rush is less today but we are ready to take care of people visiting us. We are screening people round the clock. Panic is there but there is also one good point here – they are coming voluntarily and this will help curb the spread,” Sharma added.
RML is one of the key tertiary-care swine flu testing centre in the capital.
“The facilities are better here and doctors are listening to people,” said Shantanu Tripathy (name changed) who came for testing.
Shantanu, a college student, said the doctors gave him a self declaration form and a mask before allowing him to enter the screening ward.
“The best part is every one is ready to adopt precaution here. This dispels the fear of contracting the disease in the hospital,” he added.
True to his comments, from guards to attendants all were wearing surgical masks irrespective of their posting in casualty ward or burns ward.
“We have been told to wear a mask always,” Rajesh, a guard, told Inditop.
Currently 616 people have been diagnosed with the contagious disease across the country of which 487 have been discharged. Reeda Shaikh, a 14-year-old student, succumbed to the virus in Pune Monday.
