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Source: The Hindu (http://www.hinduonnet.com/2009/08/23/stories/2009082352900300.htm)
Other States
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Orissa
  

Suspected patient referred to Visakhapatnam hospital

Correspondent

‘District headquarters hospital has no life support system’

KORAPUT: The district headquarters hospital reportedly referred a patient from Jeypore suspected to be suffering from swine flu to a private hospital in Visakhapatnam on Friday. While doctors said that the patient was suffering from ‘myocarditas’, one of the serious chest infections, sources, however, said that the patient was sent to Visakhapatnam as there was no life support system available in the hospital to cater to cases like swine flu.
The State government declared the district headquarters hospital here as referral centre for the neighbouring districts of South Orissa, said Nabaghan Choudhury, ADMO. But the hospital did not have the infrastructure like ventilators. While there was necessity for at least four ventilators to support patients with respiratory problems, the absence of even one, especially in the special ward meant for swine flu patients, was demoralising the patients, sources alleged.

Shortage of nurses

This apart, acute shortage of nursing staff in the hospital was adding to the woes of patients. Out of the requirement of 60 staff nurses, there were only 24 who cater to the needs of patients in nearly 200 beds. Furthermore, there were no doctors or staff nurses who underwent any kind of training on the ways to treat patients coming with symptoms of swine flu.
As on Saturday, medicines too were yet to reach the hospital from Bhubaneswar, doctors said. The fact that there were only five masks in the hospital for protecting the staff from swine flu stands testimony to the apathetic state in the hospital.
Opening of the ward for swine flu patients adjacent to the female ward invited serious objections. Patients in the female ward on Saturday sought shift of the special ward to another place.

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