H1N1: Andhra to get tough with hospitals

The Andhra Pradesh government would use the provisions of the Public Health Act to close down hospitals that decline to handle swine flu (HINI virus) patients despite having the facilities, according to health minister D Nagender.

Speaking to the media here on Monday, he said there had been complaints that some hospitals were not admitting HINI cases.

He said network hospitals could invoke various provisions to claim the bills for treatment of H1NI cases of those covered under the Aarogyasri scheme. “Since payment is not a problem, the hospitals should not decline treatment to H1N1 cases,” he said, adding each network hospital should have at least 10 isolation beds and five beds with ventilation facilities.

The Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM), which is now testing the samples, would now work round-the-clock and conduct 150 tests a day. It currently is equipped to carry out 100 tests everyday and gives the results in about three hours.

Justifying the Rs 9,000 that the IPM collected for these tests, the minister said chemicals required for the testing were to be imported. Also, the present testing facilities were set up at a cost of Rs 4.5 crore. Screening centres would be opened at all district centres and they would be transported to the institute.

He said the government was ensuring that there was no dearth of tamiflu tablets. Hospital would be given the tablets free of cost based on the number of H1N1 patients they treat. They would also be given to the doctors and other staff treating the patients. The affected are required to take the tablets for 38 days. However, the tablets are not being sold over-the-counter as their usage could induce neurological problems.

Hetero Drugs, which is supplying the tablets, has assured to keep 300,000 tablets and 10,000 syrups for children, health secretary LV Subramanyam said, adding the H1NI strain was more virulent now than it was two months ago.

The government would also launch a special cell to monitor the H1N1 cases. It would launch a media campaign to bring awareness about the virus and endorse the use of preventive homeopathy medicines. “We cannot assure of the curative value but they do not have any side-effects,” he said.