11 H1N1 deaths fail to make any impact on SKIMS authorities

Srinagar: With number of deaths increasing due to H1N1 at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura, the administration has failed to issue regular medical updates regarding the status of the disease in the hospital which is raising questions over the handling of H1N1 cases.

The SKIMS administration has been under severe pressure over the handling of H1N1 cases, which has so far resulted in the death of 11 patients, raising eye brows over the capability of the premier hospital in handling the cases.

Officials at the SKIMS are also seen clueless about the suspension of the health updates on H1N1, who has actually directed the Public Relations (PR) wing of SKIMS to issue regular updates about the status of H1N1.

While talking to Kashmir Vision, Firdous Ahmad, Private Secretary to Director SKIMS said that the administration has directed the PR wing to issue the updates in public interest, “we have directed them to do so, however I don’t know what has gone wrong,” he said.

The SKIMS authorities were caught on the wrong foot in handling such patients, even after the flu experts at SKIMS, after analysing the data had said that the flu will continue till January and will begin as soon as November.

The current PRO, Kulsoom Bhat is said to be one leave from last one week, however, the job has not been given to any other person so far, “she is on leave from last one week, and I will have to confirm about what has been done in this matter,” Firdous said.

When asked that if there is any chance that SKIMS would restart the medical updates on H1N1, “surely, we will do, it will not be possible from Sunday, but we can make it happen from Monday, most probably,” he said.

The regular updates were started last month after a brief press conference was called at SKIMS which was presided over by the Director SKIMS, Dr A G Ahanger, however, the updates lasted for a week or so, and after that, they were stopped abruptly. Director, while referring that there has been a ‘surge’ in H1N1 cases, had said that the administration thought that there was a need to aware the masses.

 “What is SKIMS administrations doing right now, aren’t they creating panic by withholding the information on the status of H1N1,” said a medico.

With SKIMS barring the regular health updates, it has at the same time tightened its grip on the media and not allowing scribes to meet the concerned officials regarding the status of the H1N1 cases at the hospital.

Pertinently, so far 11 deaths caused due to H1N1 have been reported from the hospital, with sources saying that additional numbers of patients have tested H1N1 positive.

 

 

 

 

 

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