Hospital screens queue for patients with H1N1
INITIATIVE Health counsellors keep watch, those showing symptoms separated
an increased toll on the victims of H1N1 virus in Jaipur, Jaipuria Hospital, which is attached to RUHS Medical College has started screening the swine flu patients from the queue at the outpatient department (OPD).
Health counsellors at the Jaipuria hospital keep a watch on the queue at the registration counters and the patients showing swine flu symptoms are separated from the queue and sent to the respective doctors with their registration slips.
Jaipuria hospital deputy controller Dr Rakesh Heerawat said that any patient with redness in face, high fever, continuous sneezing, running nose and dizziness are separated from the other patients and their registration slips are made on priority.
Based on the tests, samples are collected and patients are sent to the pre-swine flu ward to start the treatment immediately. If they are tested H1N1 positive, they are shifted to the swine flu ward which is an isolated ward on the second floor. The pre and post swine flu wards have sections for both male and female.
Total 40 patients were tested swine flu positive from January 1 till date and from September 1 to 14, total 15 patients have been tested positive.
During summers, the OPD timing is from 8am to 2pm and swine flu sample is collected from 1:30pm to 2pm. If any patient comes with H1N1 influenza symptoms after the OPD timing, they are directed to the swine flu corner at the emergency where the sample is collected from 2pm to 8pm.
On directions of health minister Kali Charan Saraf, a separate swine flu counter has been started at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital near the cottage ward from Thursday.
SMS Medical College Prof Dr CL Nawal said although the strain of swine flu has changed from California to Michigan this year, there is no need to be scared of it. Vaccines are available in adequate quantity. The medicines that were used to treat California strain of virus will be effective on Michigan strain of virus too.
According to the health department, a total of 5483 samples were collected from January 1 to September 14, of which 1870 were tested swine flu positive and 142 have died.