Pune: Government-run Sassoon Hospital here,
which is playing a pivotal role in the management of swine flu
patients in the worst-hit Pune and Western Maharashtra,
is facing shortage of drugs needed for supporting those on
ventilator.
While stocks of tamiflu prescribed for H1N1 virus are
adequate to treat the pandemic, certain antibiotics and other
anti-virals given to critical patients suffering from acute
respiratory distress are in short supply, according to
official sources.
The viral disease has so far claimed 80 lives in the
city, the highest in the country.
Hospital authorities for the last one week have been
asking the patient's relatives to buy certain drugs from
outside to tide over the situation.
Confirming the shortage, Dr Arun Jamkar, Dean of the
hospital, the biggest referral centre for Western Maharashtra,
told PTI that the problem had arisen due to the technical
ceiling on local purchase of individual drugs.
The authorities had already floated tenders for 5 to 6
selective drugs that had been used on a larger scale since the
outbreak of the viral infection around three months back, he
said.
Dr Jamkar said since the hospital was bearing the
entire cost of management of an increasing number of swine flu
patients, it was fair on its part to ask the patients to foot
bills of these expensive drugs purchased from outside.
"A patient on ventilator incurs an expenditure of
around Rs 10,000 per day which is borne by the hospital."
He clarified that the practice would be discontinued
when the drug purchase was normalised.
Meanwhile, the hospital authorities had put up their
demands and given an update to the Directorate of Medical
Education on the drug stocks required to manage H1N1
emergencies, initiating process of procurement through
floating of tenders.
Many charitable trusts and institutions, too, have
risen to the occasion by donating the listed drugs to the
hospital, which treats and admits precarious swine flu cases
referred by various private hospitals in the city.
In a latest interaction with the US-based John Hopkins
University through video-conferencing, the Sassoon Hospital
authorities exchanged views and information with experts there
on the management of swine flu cases in Pune, Dr Jamkar said.
The varsity has a collaborative project with the
hospital.
"There is a lot of curiosity among the US experts
about how we handle the H1N1 pandemic here and they were
appreciative of our efforts," the dean claimed.
One more video conference would be organised on
October 21 with greater participation from the experts from
both sides, Dr Jamkar said.
He declined to speculate on the progress of the
pandemic in Pune, saying there was no room for any kind of
complacency and the possibility of phase two of the global
pandemic was a matter of concern for all.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, October 17, 2009, 15:05