Used rubber hand-gloves, surgical masks and water bottles all thrown away callously…. This was the scene at the Sassoon general hospital, frequented by thousands every day.
More alarming is the fact that all this waste was lying just outside the sensitive make-shift H1N1 ward and the intensive care unit created at the Infosys building of the hospital to handle critical cases.
The ward and the ICU currently house a number of critical patients, who have tested positive for the contagious H1N1 viral infection. A visit to the ward revealed the poor state of affairs.
The plastic dustbin kept outside the ward on the corridor of the first floor of the building premises was over-flooded with surgical and other wastes.
Interestingly, the health authorities have already issued instructions and appealed to the people to destroy the surgical masks by burning them and not to throw away in the open places.
Moreover, once can’t make out between the infected persons and their relatives.
A mother was fast asleep with her daughter, who is currently on ventilator support.
Professor and head of the medicine department at the Sassoon general hospital Dr DS Kadam said critical H1N1 patients are being treated at the ICU, and relatives are not allowed to stay with the patient. As for those suspected, whose reports from the Natyional Institute of Virology (NIV) are awaited, a relative is allowed to stay with the patient, if s/he is a minor.
Kadam however said it is the responsibility of the Pune civic body to monitor the health of the relatives of the suspected c cases.
Kadam said TamiFlu was being administered to not only the H1N1 positive patients, but also the suspected cases.
According to him, after the patient test reports are given by the NIV, the list of the relatives accompanying the patients is being sent to the civic body so that the latter can screen them for a possible infection.
