At least six cases of suspected swine flu have been detected in Salt Lake but the hospitals here are struggling to  prepare to take on the challenge of treating them. The sub-divisional officer of Bidhannagar, Pawan Kadyan, had held a meeting a month ago with chairmen-in-council members of the municipality, the leader of the opposition, health department officers and representatives of hospitals in Salt Lake where the hospitals were asked to be ready with isolation wards for patients of swine flu. 

But a month on since that meeting, Columbia Asia Hospital and AMRI seem to be the only health facilities to have created satisfactory isolation cabins. 

Where do you go

 Columbia Asia Hospital has transformed three cabins into isolation units. As per the health department mandate, these rooms are equipped with separate air-conditioners that are not connected with the central air-conditioning system. 

“We have converted three rooms into isolation units on the sixth and seventh floors. In case we get a patient who has tested positive for swine flu, he/she will be put in these rooms and treated accordingly,” said general manager of Columbia Asia Hospital, Arindam Banerjee. “We have stocked up on N95 masks and gloves as well and are taking every precaution to ensure that patients get the best treatment and our staff too is safe.”

About a fortnight ago, the health department had served a showcause notice on Columbia Asia Hospital for allegedly refusing a patient of swine flu. 

However, the government has not allowed any hospital in Salt Lake to conduct tests to determine swine flu. In case a patient shows symptoms, he has to head to the Infectious Diseases (ID) Hospital in Beliaghata and give his swab sample for testing. If the result is positive, the patient has to get admitted to a hospital that has an isolation ward. 
Till Wednesday, Rotary Narayana Multipspeciality Hospital in Sector V had not set up any isolation unit. ILS Hospitals said they would make arrangements if a patient turned up. “We don’t have an isolation unit but can utilise a general cabin to isolate the patient,” said Dr Om Tantia, managing director of ILS Hospitals. “We have designated three cabins as isolation rooms for confirmed swine flu patients,” said an AMRI executive.

Officials at Calcutta Heart Clinic & Hospital Society in Sector III claim to have set up an isolation ward but doubts linger over how foolproof it is. “We have created a four-bed isolation ward on the first floor of our old premises,” said Dr Kishan Pradhan, honorary secretary of the hospital. “This is a contingency plan as we have not received any swine flu patients yet.”

But contrary to a vital condition listed in the mandate for isolation wards (see box), the ward here does not have separate air intake and exhaust facilities. “That system is too expensive and we don’t have the required infrastructure,” said Pradhan. “But we have created a separate pool of nurses and attendants who would be on call at such a ward exclusively. We have also bought several masks and gowns to ensure that our health workers are safe.”

State of state hospitals 

The situation is worse in the two government-run hospitals in the township. 

Senior officials at the Bidhannagar Sub-Divisional Hospital, a 100-bed facility situated in DD Block near City Centre, are clueless about setting up of isolation wards.

“We have not received any directive asking us to set up one for swine flu patients,” said a hospital official on Monday. Another official revealed that it was not possible for them to set up any such unit even if they tried.
“There is no space to keep swine flu patients separately,” he said. “Let alone keep their beds isolated, we do not even have separate entry and exit doors for them. The air-borne disease would infect the hundreds of general patients who come to get treated in our outdoor wards.”

The municipality-run Matri Sadan in EE Block was revamped and re-opened with much fanfare in January but civic chief Krishna Chakraborty says it does not even have beds, let alone isolation beds!

“Matri Sadan is supposed to have 60 beds post-renovation but the supplier has not been able to send all the beds yet. He has committed a date and we shall create an isolation ward as soon as the beds arrive,” said Chakraborty. “In the meantime, I have also spoken to health minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and asked her to set up a swine flu testing centre in Salt Lake.” 

Another Matri Sadan official said their workers were going around the township and spreading awareness about swine flu. “If we find any patient displaying symptoms we are advising them to go to the ID Hospital immediately,” he said.

All calm on the official front

The dismal situation in the hospitals notwithstanding, the SDO says the situation is under control. “There have been six suspected cases of swine flu in the township but none have been confirmed. I’ve written to the chief medical officer for a separate facility at the Sub-Divisional Hospital but am yet to receive a reply. All hospitals have been asked to be on stand-by but if the situation worsens we will need to speed up the process and bring in additional resources,” says Kadyan.

The state secretary of health, Moloy Dey, says isolation wards can be set up in any hospital as and when the need arises. “Setting up an isolation unit is not that difficult and can be done quickly. We have directed all government hospitals not to refuse any patient,” he said.

Meanwhile, a five-member medical team has been going around the township, particularly in the added areas, and spreading awareness about swine flu. Hoardings will be put up, pamphlets will be distributed and civic workers are already keeping a watch on the pig population in the added areas. 

“There is a lot of misinformation regarding this disease, like pigs transmit swine flue. But this is not true. We shall clear all these doubts during our campaign,” said Kadyan.

N95 masks have also been ordered by the sub-divisional office and will be distributed among the high-risk population like children with symptoms of influenza, pregnant women and elderly people.

Residents are hopeful that the hospitals will deliver what they are promising. “At least this hospital is making an effort to create an isolation ward. It will come in handy in case someone catches swine flu here,” said Apra Kuchhal of CA Block who had come to the outdoor patients’ department at Columbia Asia Hospital.

But others are concerned. “I hope swine flu patients are isolated properly so the disease doesn’t spread to the rest of us,” said Sharmila Mukherjee, who had come to consult a doctor at Calcutta Heart Clinic.