More docs for Swine FluBy INVERA ARJOON Tuesday, October 20 2009
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WAITING FOR TREATMENT: Persons including children wear face masks as they waited for treatment at San Fernando General Hospital yesterday. The four co...
AS WORRIED persons waited in lines at the San Fernando General Hospital yesterday to be tested to see if they had the Influenza A (H1N1) or swine flu virus, which is responsible for at least four deaths, the Health Ministry last night announced an increase of doctors for the public health care system to deal with the second wave of the disease.
This development comes as doctors at that hospital asked for additional staff to ensure that doctors conducting screening tests for the virus, are also not called upon to treat other persons and thus increase the risk of transmission of the virus.
The ministry, in a press release, confirmed a “considerable increase in the number of people visiting the public health facilities to get tested for the virus in the past couple days. This unusually high number of people at the hospital has caused an increase in waiting times.”
Doctors yesterday complained of treating patients who have tested positive for swine flu and then having to report to general wards and the theatre to treat other patients.
They said wearing masks and other Proper Protective Equipment (PPE) does not provide a 100 percent guarantee that they will not transmit the virus to others and they (doctors) themselves are at risk.
The ministry press statement added that at a meeting held yesterday with Health Minister Jerry Narace, senior health officials and heads of the TT Medical Association, “arrangements were made for additional doctors to join the public health care system during this time.”
Head of the Emergency Department at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) in Mt Hope, Dr Helmer Hilwig, when asked why the cause of death on some patients’ death certificates, who were suspected as being H1N1 positive, was stated as pneumonia, said viral pneumonia is the final stage of swine flu and is quite difficult to treat and causes death.
Hilwig said there has been a drastic increase in the number of people seeking testing at the EWMSC, however he said they would not be testing everyone who showed up but rather (only those with a fever, since fever is a significant symptom of H1N1.)
Meanwhile, the situation at SFGH continued to be one of panic as the Ambulance Bay was again turned into a waiting bay for the scores of patients turning up to be tested. Some persons complained that they have been waiting for hours with their sick children.
In the afternoon period angry patients started to raise their voices as they alleged that the doctor conducting the tests left hours ago and no one was attending to them.
The release further said the ministry would be calling a special meeting tomorrow involving various associations, ministries, public and private agencies to coordinate a wide information dissemination campaign regarding H1N1.
