In view of some suspected cases of H1N1 Influenza having been reported from certain areas of the State, the Governor N.N. Vohra today reviewed the preparedness of the Health and Medical Education Department to deal with any arising problem.The Governor was informed that: a Control Room has been established in the Directorates of Health Services at Jammu and Srinagar; an advisory has been circulated to all Districts for the sensitization of Health Care professional and Para professionals, including ASHAs and Anganwadi workers, regarding the disease; Screening and Sample Collections Centres have been established at Govt. Medical College, Jammu; SKIMS Soura; Govt. Medical College, Srinagar; Govt. Hospital Gandhi Nagar; and Govt. Hospital Sarwal for drawing samples of the persons suspected to have Influenza-A. Private labs have also been identified for the testing of samples.
Designated isolation facilities have been established in Govt. Medical College, Jammu; SKIMS, Soura; Govt. Medical College, Srinagar; Govt. Hospital, Gandhi Nagar; Govt. Hospital, Sarwal; all Districts Hospitals and CHCs in Jammu Division and Nodal Officers have been designated in each institution for H1N1 Influenza patients. In the Kashmir Division 120 Health Centres including District Hospitals, Sub District Hospitals, Primary Health Centres with 134 isolation beds have been designated for the purpose. SKIMS, Srinagar, has 12 ICU beds and the Chest and Disease Hospital, Srinagar, has 6 ICU beds for H1N1 patients. Surveillance Desks are being established with special teams, including doctors and paramedical staff, at identified major entry points including Airports, Railway Station, and Lakhanpur Check Post. Separate OPDs are being established at Government Hospital, Gandhi Nagar, and Govt. Hospital, Sarwal.
Mr. Mandeep Bhandari, Secretary H& ME, informed that in GMC, Srinagar, rooms have been designated for admitting patients with H1N1 symptoms; 04 ventilators have been earmarked for such patients who need ventilator support; and an MoU has been signed with Lal Path Lab for conducting tests for the admitted patients for which the charges will be borne by the Hospital. At the Lal Ded Hospital, 1 operation table, 1 delivery table and 1 Isolation Room for patients in labour with signs of Swine Flu have been kept reserved. In G.B. Pant Hospital, 1 Isolation Room with designated staff on the 4th floor, with necessary ventilator support, has been made available along with necessary drugs and protective kits. H1N1 testing lab facility at GMC Srinagar is also ready and will commence functioning from 1st February 2016.In GMC Jammu, OPDs to clinically screen the patients have been earmarked in Chopra Nursing Home and Department of Paediatrics in SMGS Hospital, Jammu. The Ground Floor in the Chopra Nursing Home shall be used as Inpatient Ward. In SMGS Hospital, Paediatrics Intensive Care Unit along with Ventilators has been identified to cater to the children admitted with Swine Flu.As per the daily situation report on H1N1 Flu status provided by the Secretary Health and Medical Education, till date 32 samples of suspected patients have been collected in Jammu Division including 1 on 29th January; in Kashmir Division so far 11 samples have been taken. Out of 32 collected samples in Jammu Division, 23 cases have been found negative, 2 positive and reports are pending in respect of 7 cases. In Kashmir Division out of 11samples collected 8 have been found negative and reports are pending in 3 cases.
After the review meeting the Governor directed Dr. Bhandari Secretary, Health Department, to ensure that adequate supplies of medicines, N95 masks required for Health Care Workers and Virus Transport Medium (VTM) for transportation of samples are urgently procured and distributed to the concerned hospitals units.The Governor also directed Dr. Bhandari to ensure wide publicity, using all available media, to generate adequate awareness among people regarding the Do’s and Dont’s in dealing with any suspected Flu case and when to seek specialist medical advice so that there is no unnecessary panic or scare. The Governor also directed him to ensure the ready availability of sufficient quantities of medicines and medical equipments in all the Health Centers of the State.In the meeting held today the Governor also reviewed the to-date status of “detachments” of doctors from the Medical institutions and directed the Secretary, Health & Medical Education, for immediate detachment of doctors originally posted away from the State/ District/Block Headquarters to ensure availability of doctors and paramedical staff, particularly in the hospitals located in the remote and far-flung areas of the State.