Involve Private Hospitals To Control Swine Flu: Telangana High Court

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has directed the state government to involve private hospitals and diagnostic labs in the state in its fight against swine flu that is likely to spread its tentacles during the winter season.

The bench of Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A Abhishek Reddy said this while hearing two public interest petitions filed by Dr M Karuna and advocate Rapolu Bhaskar, questioning the negligence of the officials of medical and health department, and also the civic authorities in taking steps to control the spread of swine flu, dengue and other diseases.

The bench went through the affidavits filed by the state’s chief secretary SK Joshi and director of public health Dr G Srinivas Rao, both of whom were silent on the aspect of involving private hospitals in both diagnosis and treatment of these viral fevers. The bench sought information from them as to what they have done in this regard by Jan 3.

Advocate general BS Prasad has informed the court that since vaccination meant for swine flu is fraught with certain side effects, people are preferring to consume medicines in the form of tablets and syrups. “Hence, we have kept sufficient stocks of the same at all primary health centres all over the state, and our doctors are ready to deal with any likely spread of swine flu,” the AG said.

“We need permission from National Centre for Disease Control to set up diagnostic labs,” public health director, G Srinivas Rao, said in his affidavit. “We thought of setting up 10 labs in various towns and cities of the state, but as the permission is yet to arrive, we could not set them up so far,” he said.

The bench directed the state to sensitise the district medical and health officers (DMHOs) all over the state and also the existing diagnostic labs about the looming danger of swine flu spreading during the coming winter months.-Times Of India