PANJIM: The staff at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) got into a state of panic, as two patients were admitted in the hospital with swine flu symptoms. The panic worsened when one of the patients tested positive for swine flu.
Medical Superintendent Dr SN Bandekar informed Herald that a lady who tested positive for H1N1 was admitted to GMC and has been shifted to quarantine room adjacent to Ward 147.
He said, “There is nothing to panic, everything is under control. A lady aged 25 years which is a confirmed case of swine flu has been admitted in quarantine room in Ward 147. She has been put on treatment and Dr Edwin Gomes, the Head of Medicine department is looking after her.”
However, regarding the second case, he informed that a medical student from the GMC has also been admitted but has not tested positive H1N1.
“Third year MBBS boy who is 21 years old has been admitted but he is just suspected and all his reports are negative. He has clinical signs and therefore he has been admitted”, Bandekar stated.
He further said that both the patients are under medical supervision and both the cases are under control.
Dr Edwin Gomes informed that a practicing nurse was brought in on Wednesday and upon diagnoses of swine flu was admitted to quarantine room. “The patient’s fever is four days old and by tomorrow the virus should come down”, he added.
However, the news of swine flu positive patient send jitters amongst the staff on duty as the necessary preventive masks too were not available at the spot. And when the MBBS student was to be admitted, nursing staff on duty panicked as the designated masks for H1N1 were not available at hand and this send the patients in the ward too into jitters.
Speaking to Herald, Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane said that a nurse who did not want to be placed on duty in the ward 147 spread rumours. “There is nothing to panic. Medicines as well as masks are available and have been provided to all the staff on duty”, he added.
The Health Minister informed that GMC has handled 35 cases of swine flu from January this year till date including 2 patients from Sawantwadi, who succumbed to the disease while undergoing treatment. He has called for a review meeting on Thursday morning to review the situation and be upraised about the current situation.
