Hospitals in Delhi have finally pulled up their socks. Till only a few days back, entering a swine flu ward was a cakewalk, but now no more, finds out Kavita Bisht
Hospitals in Delhi have finally pulled up their socks. Till only a few days back, entering a swine flu ward was a cakewalk, but now no more, finds out Kavita Bisht
Don't be so sure of the best hospitals just yet; there's a chance your doctor could be carrying the virus himself! Only till a few days back, I could enter the swine flu ward at the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital unchecked. The nurses, doctors and suspected patients roamed about free, the only preventive measure being the dosage of two Tamiflu tablets in a day, for both patients and staff. The nurse did say they used a 'personal protection kit' consisting of a gown, gloves, mask and eyewear, but all I could see was their usual whites.
Though RML is the nodal point for treatment of swine flu cases in the city, it was obviously sleeping over the pandemic. They told me there were 18 suspected cases in the hospital, but I entered the ward with utmost ease. The nurses divulged all the information freely, including about one of the patients, whose report was still awaited. He was within close proximity, with no one bothering how dangerous it could be if his results turned out positive. It's contagious, but so is callousness. The height, of course, was that I didn't need a doctor's permission to visit the suspected victims. We chatted like old friends... forget objection from the authorities, not a single other eye rolled.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
But that was then, before brouhaha struck. Today, the scene is different; I can't set a foot inside the same hospital! Security has been tightened. The nurses who smiled affably refuse to recognise me. A hulk-like figure guards the gates and another, the swine flu ward. I am not allowed inside, the 'personal protection kit' et al, and after repeated pestering leads to a reluctant entry into the forbidden land, I emerge empty-handed: neither the nurses, nor the patients, are allowed to speak. I curse myself, in anticipation of the editor's, but another part thanks God finally, the medical fraternity has woken up.
