Femida Patanwala, 33, a resident of Jogeshwari, succumbed to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, a condition where the contraction of lungs is acutely affected.
Femida Patanwala, 33, a resident of Jogeshwari, succumbed on Saturday afternoon to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), a condition where the contraction of lungs is acutely affected. A swine flu test, whose result arrived at Kasturba hospital shortly after death, was positive.
A patient of diabetics and hypertension, she had been suffering from cold, fever and breathing problems for the past four days. She was initially undergoing treatment with a local doctor. After she showed no improvement, she was admitted to the Ruby Hospital in Jogeshwari for three days. Thereafter, a critically ill Patanwala was taken to the Lilavati hospital in Bandra on Friday afternoon. “After a battery of tests for three hours, they told us that we should seek medical advice elsewhere,” said her brother Shakir.
Trying to hold back tears, he said the doctors at Lilavati should have suggested a swine flu test earlier. “She celebrated her 33rd birthday only last Saturday,” Shakir said.
Shakir said it was only after the family told the hospital that she should be tested for H1N1, the doctors suggested she should be transferred to Kasturba hospital. This had led to precious time being lost, he said. Lilavati hospital, however, refuted the charges. “The patient was transferred to Kasturba Hospital with full medical support systems. Two doctors from Lilavati hospital accompanied her to Kasturba hospital,” said the hospital’s spokesperson.
“She was admitted to Kasturba hospital almost immediately and her throat swabs were sent to the National Institute of Virology at Pune,” said assistant municipal commissioner, Manisha Mahiskar. “Her positive reports reached us only on Saturday afternoon,” she added. Patanwala’s family said that by the time the report reached Kasturba, she had already succumbed.
Director of medical education and major hospitals, Dr Sanjay Oak refused to comment on the allegations of the family, and said that the civic authorities were yet to look into the details of the case. “Her family members have already been put on tamiflu,” he said.
Meanwhile, family members of Chandivili resident, Sandeep Gaikwad (who had tested positive for swine flu and is on ventilator-support), underwent screening for influenza H1N1 on Saturday; as did the staff and doctors at the hospital who came in contact with the patient.
“The patient’s brother, who had visited Pune last month, also showed symptoms of fever and has been given a dose of tamiflu,” said Dr Vimal Pahuja, the consultant physician treating the patient. He said the BMC has given him tamiflu tablets for the next seven days, and have assured Hiranandani hospital of additional supply. “Now that he has been diagnosed positive, and treatment is on, we are hopeful of his recovery,” said a member of Gaikwad’s family, refusing to divulge his name.
A team of officials from Kasturba hospital visited Hiranandani hospital on Saturday morning to take the medical history of the patient. They have also taken the throat swabs of two patients suspected to be suffering from swine flu,” said Dr Sujit Chatterji, CEO of the hospital.
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