Delhi’s H1N1 alarm: LNJP readies 70 extra beds

Amid a surge in H1N1 Influenza cases in New Delhi, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital has prepared a dedicated isolation ward and bolstered medical facilities to manage the outbreak. The hospital has set up a specialized unit to provide prompt treatment to patients, with provisions to expand capacity significantly if required.Dr.

Satyajit Kumar, Head of Department (A&E) at LNJP Hospital, explained the current setup. Seven beds have been dedicated to the ward, comprising five high-dependency beds and two ventilated, he informed. Moreover, the hospital has a contingency plan to accommodate a surge in admissions. Should patient numbers rise, a 70-bed ward on the seventh floor will be prepared, equipped with 10 ICU beds and 60 HDU beds.Dr.

Kumar's statement came after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director-General, Rajiv Bahl, informed that H1N1 strain of Influenza A has become the dominant respiratory pathogen in India, representing nearly 98 percent of tested Influenza A cases. Bahl highlighted the establishment of a multi-tiered, real-time disease surveillance network across the country to monitor viral outbreaks.

This network includes state-level reporting through the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), complemented by direct hospital-based sampling by ICMR to swiftly identify rising respiratory infections like H1N1 influenza and initiate immediate outbreak responses.