With H1N1 Influenza raging across India, Union Ministry of Health has issued 7000 testing kits to states with Kashmir getting none.
According to a press release by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the government plans to distribute 15000 more such kits. However, JK health officials say they haven’t received any assistance in form of testing kits from MoHFW.
Currently, two hospitals in Kashmir are equipped to test for H1N1 Influenza. However, the hospital administrations said that the infrastructure as well as testing kits have been procured by the hospitals and not supplied by Centre.
Government Medical College Srinagar has set up PCR based ‘Multi-Research Laboratory’ where, as per the administration, the tests can be done if required. Principal GMC Srinagar, Dr. Rafeeq Ahmed Pampori said, “We have adequate number of test kits and if there is a need, we are prepared to test.”
Similarly, at SKIMS, like the case last flu season, no test kits were provided by the government. Dr. DK Kakru, Professor and Head of Department of Microbiology at SKIMS said, “Till date, we have not received any testing material from MoHFW.”
He however added that the hospital was prepared for any eventuality. When H1N1 Influenza hit Kashmir last year, SKIMS was forced to expend testing material meant for research purposes for public testing. Although the government had promised replenishment of the stocks, no financial support or material was provided to the Institute.
Director SKIMS, Dr. Showkat A Zargar said that the hospital was expanding the scope of diagnostics with an Advanced Viral Diagnostic Lab being set up at a cost of Rs 10.5 crore.
MoHFW has also asked the states to prepare for swine flu and gear up the facilities. In this regard, as per, health officials, arrangements have already been made. Director Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (Kashmir), Dr. SM Kadri said that there are no fresh advisories. “These are the same as were last year. We have not received anything fresh,” he said. He added that IDSP was on a ‘lookout’ for suspected cases of H1N1 Influenza.
Dr. Abdul Karim, Deputy Director Health Services Kashmir, said that 10 beds each at district hospitals had been allocated as isolation facility for suspected and confirmed H1N1 influenza cases. At GMC, an isolation facility has been created at Chest Diseases Hospital Srinagar, according to hospital administration. At SKIMS too, the hospital administration said that enough number of beds ‘well suited for isolation’ had been kept ready for any cases that might come up.
The MoHFW has also said that it was in the process of augmenting health facilities to provide critical care support to the seriously ill flu patients. ‘The process for training of Master Trainers on ventilator management will be completed in the first half of November which will ensure sufficient capacity for the healthcare workers for managing critical patients, it said.
Last season, H1N1 Influenza killed 24 people in Kashmir and hundreds tested positive. There was gross shortage of testing infrastructure, medicines and critical care support in Kashmir hospitals.
