This Article is From Aug 07, 2009

Swine flu: Is India prepared?

New Delhi, Mumbai:

At the 24-hour swine flu check-up centre in Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohiya Hospital, the queues were long but not the wait. There are two cabins in the hospital where two patients were being treated simultaneously.

"After the Pune death people are rushing in for tests. There is no reason to panic. We are well-equipped," said Dr N K Chaturvedi, Ram Manohar Lohiya Hospital.

More than 100 people were screened on Thursday and swabs of 20 cases taken. And the results have been promised in 48 hours.

At the Rajiv Gandhi institute of chest diseases, a two-year-old patient brought for diagnosis said, "I had a lot of fever after coming from London. Which is why momma brought me here."

Even though the crowds are growing for testing, there are all of 13 beds for isolation cases and just one lab technician. No wonder the crowds are waiting since morning. The hospital is understaffed and overstretched.

"They don't have basic things like masks, but in their forms they are asking us details about our religion and income," said one of the person present there for check-up.

But the situation is not that bad at the Kasturba Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Mumbai.

"It was very smooth. They checked us. It took half an hour," said one of the people who underwent the check-up.

Screening of swine flu across India is a mixed bag, but clearly Delhi and Mumbai hospitals are more prepared to deal with both the panic and the diseases more than the rest.

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