By Odette Loney Monday, October 26 2009

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MEDICAL CHECK UP: Patients and visitors wearing masks yesterday at the quarantine section of the San Fernando General Hospital....

MEDICAL staff were on hand to provide precautionary swine flu testing at the Ambulance Bay of San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) yesterday at 3 pm to sick patients who anxiously wanted to find out if they had, in fact, contracted the dreaded Influenza A, H1N1 virus.

Unlike Saturday when sick patients coughed and sniffled under flu masks while waiting from as early as 4 am to see a doctor, yesterday patients received attention from a doctor and nurse who conducted swine flu tests outside the Accident and Emergency area.

A scant group of about 15 individuals, mostly adults, waited for testing for the past week. The Ambulance Bay was cordoned off with triangular cones to accommodate patients who trickled into SFGH seeking confirmation on their H1N1 status, after experiencing flu like symptoms such as coughing, fever, body pains, diarrhoea and general malaise.

Although the Ministry of Health said that there are 163 confirmed cases of swine flu and four deaths, it seems that South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) hospitals and health centres will continue to be the testing sites for most patients, some of whom were referred there from private care facilities.

SWRHA sources told Newsday although there are about 20 mild cases of swine flu at the hospital there is nothing new to report and official records of deaths and infections remain the same.