Private hospitals failing to diagnose H1N1: Officials

Mumbai: Private-run hospitals and clinics are failing to diagnose cases of swine flu-H1N1 virus, say officials of the state government.

According to state health department’s data, 18 per cent of H1N1-related deaths have been reported in civic and government hospitals even as 82 per cent of such deaths have been witnessed in private-run hospitals.

The state health department Thursday revealed that 1,917 people had tested positive for the contagion of H1N1 virus and 192 deaths had been reported in the state since the beginning of the year.

According to data from the state health department, there were a staggering 6,144 H1N1 flu cases and 778 deaths in 2017, which dropped to 2,594 H1N1 flu cases and 462 deaths in 2018 and 1,917 cases of H1N1 virus with 192 deaths.

State surveillance officer and epidemiologist, Dr Pradip Awate of the health department, told The Asian Age, “If you see the data, the trend of H1N1 virus has shown a sharp decline; we have been sensitising about precautionary measures for H1N1 throughout the state.”

He further said, “In government-run hospitals, we first diagnose and start with the treatment and don’t wait for test results wherein at private hospitals, the reports decide the treatment and in this process, precious time is wasted. If detection is late, H1N1 virus affects the body severely.”