In the wake of increasing threat of swine flu in the State, the Medical Health and Ayush Minister Surendra Singh Negi convened a meeting of top officials of the health department at his office in the Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday.
In the meeting the Health Minister directed the Principal Secretary health to procure sufficient stock of swine flu medicines. He said that the hospitals of the State are having adequate numbers of the ventilators and if need arises the services of private hospitals too should be taken.
Negi directed the Director General (DG) health to make such arrangements wherein the patients of Government hospitals are referred to the private hospitals when the services of ventilator are needed. He said that the State Government would reimburse the private hospitals in such an eventuality.
The department officials informed that the samples of 80 suspected patients have been sent to National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) for testing. He was told that reports of 47 patients have arrived from NICD which suggest that 12 cases are positive for the disease. Out of these 12 confirmed cases two patients have succumbed to the disease in the State till date.
The Minister said that an awareness drive should be launched to inform people about the symptoms and preventive measures. He asked the officials to ensure that the isolation wards in all the hospitals are made to treat the suspected patients of the disease.
After the meeting the Health Minister claimed that adequate amount of swine flu medicines are available in the State and the department is in position to give medicines to five times more patients than those visiting the hospitals.
The meeting was attended by Principal Health Secretary Om Prakash, Additional secretary health Niraj Kherwal, DG health Dr GS Joshi and State Programme officer communicable diseases Dr Kiran Bisht.