JOIN US Medicines to treat children with H1N1 have run out of stock in Bengaluru as the Oseltamivir syrup is unavailable, according to BBMP officials.
A meeting called by Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader could not find a solution to the problem. Doctors at private and government hospitals had complained about the syrup to treat infants being out of stock.
Shortage of testing kits is another problem. According to senior doctors at Manipal Hospitals, which receives most cases in Bengaluru, there are just about sufficient kits. “There is an increasing demand. Usually each month just about 25 cases would be screened. But this time the number has gone up to 100,” a senior doctor said.
No deaths were reported in the BBMP limits on Tuesday. There are 174 positive cases and nine deaths in the City so far.
A reality check on Tuesday showed medicines for swine flu were unavailable at most of the 51 pharmacies recognised by the Health department for the purpose. But Raghuram Bhandari, Drugs Controller, said 7,000 strips were procured on Monday and 5,000 on Tuesday.
Dr Shashidhar Buggi, director, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases, said the hospital had a stock of 1,500 tablets.