The swine flu menace has claimed three lives in Tirunelveli district amid a growing number of patients thronging government hospitals including Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TVMCH).
Maasaanam, 35, of V.M. Chathram on Palayamkottai outskirts died a couple of days ago at TVMCH, while Muthukrishnan, 40, of Munneerpallam died at the hospital on Friday morning. Both patients tested positive for H1N1 virus, sources in TVMCH said.
Selvam, 30, of Ambedkar Nagar, Palayamkottai, who was undergoing treatment at the hospital, died on Friday evening.
“The fever outpatient section is overflowing everyday. The number of patients coming to TVMCH with symptoms of swine flu and dengue is on the rise. The sudden spurt may come down only after the commencement of active monsoon,” said the sources.
Muthukrishnan’s relatives alleged that he was not given medicines for the past 24 hours. “When we asked nurses about it, they told us that there was no stock of swine flu tablets due to a sudden increase in the number of patients coming to the hospital,” they said.
The sources said fresh batch of tablets arrived at 2 p.m., but hospital authorities denied it saying they already had adequate stock.
A senior official attached to the Department of Public Health admitted that more than 25 patients with symptoms of swine flu were undergoing treatment in various hospitals including TVMCH. “We have adequate stock of tablets and there is no need for panic.”
While there is not much concern about dengue cases, as officials believe that they could be managed and contained, the significant increase in the influx of swine flu patients has kept the health managers on tenterhooks.
Meanwhile, Corporation officials, who conducted a surprise check in a hospital at Udaiyaarpatti, slapped a fine of ₹10,000 on the hospital administration for allowing mosquito breeding on their premises. “As we found mosquito breeding during inspection on Friday, the fine was imposed,” said a Corporation official.