Even as the state is still considering to set up an infectious diseases unit at the vacant ESI Hospital at Aundh,there is an increasing demand to relocate the tuberculosis unit. Dr Mohan Nagare,district civil surgeon said they have urged the government to shift the 120-bed TB unit from the present Aundh Civil Hospital to the proposed 200-bed hospital. When contacted,additional chief secretary,Health,Sharvari Gokhale on Thursday admitted that there was a need to set up an infectious diseases hospital in Pune and the government was seriously considering the proposal to relocate TB unit from Aundh Civil Hospital. There are various issues attached to the shifting of the tuberculosis unit at Aundh Civil Hospital,but it will be done gradually,Gokhale said. According to Nagare,the second floor of the Aundh Civil Hospital is dedicated to general patients,whereas the third floor is for TB patients. Even as TB cases are being successfully treated,there is a stigma attached to the hospital which is still known as TB Hospital. He pointed out they could not function properly as a general hospital. Meanwhile,Sandeep Khardekar,vice-president,BJP city unit,had pulled up the state for not pursuing its plans to build the infectious diseases unit at Aundh Civil Hospital premises. He alleged the government was not serious in implementing its plans to set up a 200-bed hospital,despite the number of deaths due to swine flu. Gokhale said,Sassoon General Hospital had played a major role last year in treating swine flu patients. Hence,the government had decided to have an alternate facility for treating not just swine flu,but patients with any kind of infectious disease. It will take time but we are hoping to set up the general hospital soon, she said. A total of 498 people have tested positive for H1N1 virus and 61 have died due to swine flu in Maharashtra from April -June this year. Majority of cases are still from Pune district 209 and 32 deaths,while Mumbai registered 69 cases and five deaths and Nashik reported 50 cases and three deaths,according to Dr Pradeep Awate,state surveillance officer. There are a total of 1,500 screening centres and 114 isolation wards in the state and throat swabs of the seriously ill patients are sent to the National Institute of Virology,Kasturba Hospital and Haffkine Institute at Mumbai. Last year from August 2009 till April this year a total of 6,800 people had tested positive for H1N1 and 415 deaths had been registered.
