Pune, Aug 4 (Inditop.com) The Maharashtra government Tuesday declared Pune and Satara districts as affected by the swine flu pandemic even as Chief Minister Ashok Chavan squarely blamed the Jehangir Hospital for the death of a 14-year-old girl due to the disease.
The state has invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act in the two districts, Health Minister Rajendra Shingane said here, after he chaired a meeting that discussed the issue.
The district civil and health authorities can now forcibly admit to a government hospital for treatment any person suspected of influenza A(H1N1) symptoms, he said.
Several other public health safeguards and precautions also come in the force, he said.
Early July, the state had declared Pune city with a population of around 3.5 million as affected by the swine flu pandemic.
While Pune has recorded the highest number of 104 swine flue cases, including schoolgirl Rida Shaikh who died due to swine flue Monday, Satara is next with 23 cases, Shingane said citing the latest figures.
Apart from Pune and Satara, there are 20 cases in Mumbai, two in Thane and one in Nashik, making a total of 150 patients in the state till date.
The government demanded an explanation from the management of the Pune-based private hospital on the circumstances that led to the first swine flu death in the country.
Chief Minister Chavan warned that the government would take appropriate action against the hospital for the “lapses” that led to the girl’s death from complications arising out of the influenza A(H1N1) virus infection.
Shingane said the child could have been saved if she had been diagnosed properly and in time, and if the government health authorities had been alerted in advance. “There was a delay of 11 days in this case,” he noted.
A similar notice has also been served to the Ruby Clinic, a private testing facility, which had carried out certain blood and other tests of the victim and even returned the results to the Jehangir Hospital within an hour whereas swine flu tests require at least 24 hours for full reports.
Shingane said that treatment and drugs for influenza A(H1N1) flu are currently made available only at government/civil hospitals.
Earlier in the day, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sharvari Gokhale said that despite all public health warnings, advisories and directives, the Jehangir Hospital had failed to inform the health authorities of the victim’s serious condition.
“The concerned private hospital did not inform us till the case turned positive. They may also not have administered the anti-H1N1 drugs properly to the patient, which resulted in her death. It is unfortunate,” Gokhale told Inditop.
She, however, maintained that the situation due to swine flu is completely under control and “there is absolutely no cause for any panic”.
Gokhale said the influenza A(H1N1) flu drugs are available at only government and civil hospitals.
“Only if the situation goes out of control, we shall allow private hospitals to administer it, but with around 100 cases in a couple of cities, the matter is fully under control, barring the accident yesterday,” Gokhale stressed.
