State and hospital try to pass the buck

Reeda Shaikh’s death has uncovered a web of denials, cover-ups and total lack of coordination. Serious doubts are being raised on Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and other government health agencies maintaining utmost secrecy about the 14-year-old girl who became the country’s first swine flu casualty.

Documents with DNA showed  Jehangir Hospital on August 1 wrote a letter to health department agencies, including the PMC, that Reeda had tested positive for H1N1. A copy of the letter was sent to the health services director general in New Delhi.

Dr Prasad Muglikar, the medical superintendent of Jehangir Hospital, said senior health officials, including state health department in-charge for H1N1 Dr Pradeep Awate, state rapid response team member for H1N1 Dr RR Katti, Maharashtra director of health services Dr DS Dakhore and joint director (health services) Dr PH Chavan, visited the hospital to review the situation on August 1, a day after Reeda tested positive for H1N1.

“A causative pathogen could not be identified in the initial investigation. Hence, the sample was sent to the National Institute of Virology,” the letter written by M Faisal Siddiqui, the chief operating officer, read.

Doctors who treated Reeda said a call was made to Naidu Hospital on July 29 asking if they could accept a sample. “A medical officer at the hospital asked us if the patient satisfied the criteria of either any history of foreign travel or exposure to another diagnosed case of H1N1. As she didn’t satisfy any of these, they told us that her swab could not be taken,” Muglikar said. And the next day, a swab sample as sent to the NIV.

Though Katti said health officials knew of the case since July 31, he was at a loss to explain why the case was kept a “close guarded secret”.