Governor N N Vohra convened a meeting today at Civil Secretariat to review the action taken by the Health & Medical Education Department to deal with the H1N1 Flu in the State.The meeting was attended by Shri Parvez Dewan, Advisor to Governor; Shri B.R. Sharma, Chief Secretary; Shri B.B. Vyas, Financial Commissioner, Planning and Development; Shri P.K. Tripathi, Principal Secretary to Governor; Dr. Mandeep K. Bhandari, Secretary, Health & Medical Education Department; Dr. Zahid Gillani, Principal Medical College, Jammu; and Dr. Baljeet Singh Pathania, Director, Health Services Jammu. Principal Government Medical College, Srinagar, Director Health Services, Kashmir and Dean, Medical Faculty of SKIMS participated in the discussions through video-conferencing.
The Governor was informed that a total of 54 samples have so far been taken for testing in the entire State, 43 in Jammu and 11 in Kashmir. Only 2 cases have tested positive and both the patients have since been treated satisfactorily. Samples are being collected at Government Medical College Hospital,SMGC Hospital, Govt. Hospital, Gandhi Nagar/ Sarwal at Jammu. In Kashmir Division, testing facility is available at SKIMS, Soura Srinagar.The Governor was informed that the H1N1 testing lab facility alongwith H1N1 ward under execution since 2014-15 in Srinagar at a cost of Rs. 7.05 crore shall become functional at GMC Srinagar from 8th February, 2016. A similar lab testing along with H1N1 ward is being set up at GMC, Jammu at a cost of Rs. 6.3 crore. The isolation ward at GMC Jammu is already operational. The Governor expressed regret over the delay and directed that the laboratory facility at GMC Jammu should now be made fully operational without any loss of time. The Governor also directed the Financial Commissioner, Planning and Development to make available the required funds to the Health & Medical Education department for operationalising the testing laboratories at both Srinagar and Jammu.
Vohra was informed that the samples are being tested free of cost in both the Government Medical Colleges as well as at all Government hospitals under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP). The Governor directed that the testing of samples for the eligible patients at SKIMS be also made free.The Governor was also informed that the Health & Medical Education Department has made necessary arrangements and is well prepared. The availability of various consumable stocks includes 356 VTMs, 2318 PPEs, 728 N95 masks, 7700 Triple layer masks, 24360 Oseltamivir tablets (Tamiflu), 2500 Trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine in the State.It was also informed that the Advisory has been circulated to all the districts and the Health Care Professionals and Para Professionals including ASHAs and Anganwadi workers have been duly sensitised regarding the disease. Private labs have also been identified for conduct of testing. Screening and Sample Collection centres for the suspected patients of Influenza-A have also been established at Govt. Medical College, Jammu, SKIMS Soura, Govt. Medical College, Srinagar, Govt. Hospital Gandhi Nagar and Govt. Hospital Sarwal.The Governor directed Dr. Bhandari, Health Secretary, to keep a personal close watch on flu management arrangements and send him a daily report. The Governor also reiterated his directions to the State Health authorities to make use of all available media for carrying out a sustained campaign to enhance the awareness of the people at large regarding all aspects of the Flu so that all preventive steps are taken as well in time and there is no unnecessary panic.