Swine flu patients complain of inadequate medical facilities in hospitals

Patients undergoing treatment for swine flu in New Delhi have complained of inadequate medical facilities in government hospitals.

The country has seen a steep rise in the number of swine flu cases this year, prompting officials to investigate the cause and step up efforts to combat the virus.

Irate patients and their relatives at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in the national capital said that the hospital was running out of medicines.

"I have been running from pillar to post since morning, neither I am being attended nor there is availability of medicines and other necessary equipments. I was told that they have run out of stock. Nothing is available... They are not even ready to listen to us. They ask us to get treatment somewhere else, but there is no any treatment of swine flu outside the government hospitals," said Mahendra Kumar Yadav, who has been tested positive for the deadly H1N1 virus.

Yadav's son, attending him at the hospital, has also gotten infected with the virus.

However, Delhi government spokesperson Nagendar Sharma has stated that the city was doing its best to augment the availability of medical equipments.

"A number of things are being said about swine flu that its tests in private labs are costly. Delhi government has said it will look into the matter and all the government hospitals where its test is conducted, it is done free of cost and are being told to increase its capacity," he said.

Meanwhile, 49 people have succumbed to the infection in Rajasthan, with most colleges and universities closed to restrict the epidemic. The National Law University in Jodhpur city has been shut till March 1.

According to the latest official data released on Tuesday, more than 100 people have succumbed to the H1N1 virus in the past three days, taking the toll to 596 this year. Overall, 8,423 people have contracted swine flu this year in the country.

Doctors say the mortality rates are high because infected persons are coming for treatment at an advanced stage of the disease.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda earlier maintained that the country's hospitals are well-equipped to combat the growing number of cases. As per reports, the government plans to draft new guidelines for the vaccination of healthcare workers.

Earlier this week, the government had placed an order to increase the national stock of diagnostic kits to test for the virus. Authorities are also procuring 10,000 additional masks and 60,000 doses of the anti-viral drug Oseltamivir.