Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Mar 18: Jammu and Kashmir High Court today expressed serious concern over the violation of the court directions by the Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr Saleemur Rehman, for not attending the meeting of the committee formed by the court last month to deal with swine flu that claimed at least 12 lives in Kashmir and around 400 tested positive for H1N1.
A division bench of the High Court comprising Justice MH Attar and Justice Ali Mohammad Magray today said: “We take serious note of the fact that the Director, Health Services Kashmir, who is member of the committee constituted by the Court itself, has not attended the meeting, even no explanation is given as to why he did not personally attend the meeting. The Director, Health Services, Kashmir to explain the cause which prevented him from attending the meeting, in which, deliberations/recommendations were to be made about the important public issue.”
The court has asked him to explain his position for not participating the meeting. “He shall explain his position for not participating in the said meeting. He is further directed to participate in further meetings in person”, the court said.
The court early this month formed a three member committee headed by Director SKIMS with Director Health Services Kashmir and Principal Medical College Srinagar as its members to look into bringing swine flu under control.
The Director, SKIMS, filed his response to the court in response of the court order which says: “It is submitted that although measures like hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette are the major ways in controlling the HINI Influenza. Mass vaccination is not recommended In India. It is further submitted that it would be ideal to vaccinate everybody in the months of September and October against the disease. The committee has recommended that the high risk groups like health care workers, children less than five years of age, pregnant females, elderly people, people with chronic heart disease, cancers etc be immunized on propriety basis during the months of September and October, The committee has also recommended that such vaccination shall be included in the universal Immunization programme in future.”
The Director SKIMS in his response said: “It has been further recommended that a 50 bed Infectious Hospital be allotted to SKIMS for which land stands already identified. It is also stated that SKIMS has manpower and other infrastructure in place for establishing such a hospital. It is also stated that the hospital being a faculty of HINI influenza, shall also take care of other diseases like Ebola, Multi-drug resistant Tuberculoses which are even bigger threats to the human life. It is also recommended that after establishing such a facility in SKIMS, such facility shall further be established in other Hospitals up to the level of District hospitals.”
“The committee has further recommended that special budget shall be kept available for procurement of N95 masks, Tami flu capsules, reagents for testing and vaccines. Vaccines shall be made available in the market also for common people. It is further recommended that drug Tamiflu shall be available in all Hospitals including District Hospitals but should not be kept available in the open market because of possibility of it being misused”, the Director says in his response to court.
The Director has recommended augmentation of testing laboratory at SKIMS. “The committee has further recommended that in addition to provision of establishing of labs to GMC Srinagar, testing facility at SKIMS needs to be augmented”, the response said.
“The committee has also stated that a sub-committee has been constituted for conducting public awareness programmes about the HINI influenza and protective measures adopted”, Dr Zargar in his response said.
The response further said: “It is submitted that the sub-committee in consultation with Directorate of Health Services, will formulate advisories for school which include guidelines like, if a child has flu like symptoms, he or she be directed to stay at home for three days post fever, school need to have surveillance programme in position for which they will nominate a nodal officer who will co-ordinate with above sub-committee /Authorities of the said area.”
The committee submits that if a teacher complains of flu like symptoms and asks for any leave, he should get certificate from a committee of physicians to be nominated by the Director, Health Services Kashmir.
The committee recommends: “It is also stated that physician committee will train health educators and school health education officers, who in turn will train teachers regarding preventive measures to be taken against HIN1 The committee has also made recommendations for flu immunization in children. The children are categorized as patients of Asthma, Neurological and Neuro-development conditions etc, Cystic, Fibrosis, Heart disease, Congenital heart disease, Congestive heart failure, Blood disorders, Kidney disorder, Liver disorders, Metabolic disorders, Wakened immune system, people younger than 19 years of age, who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy and people who are morbidly obese (Body Mass Index, BMI, of 40 or greater).”
The committee also recommended that all children between six months to two years of age shall be vaccinated against the flu and other healthy children from two years onwards the vaccine is optional. The schedule for flue Immunization in children has also been provided.
“We place on record our appreciation for Director SKIMS (Dr. Showkat Ahmad Zargar) and members of the committee, who rose to the occasion and exhibited sensitivity and commitment to the cause of people in making recommendations to the Government without loss of time”, the court said.
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