Narace investigating doctors handling of Swine Flu patients

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Health Minister Jerry Narace has ordered Chief Medical Officer Dr Anton Cumberbatch to investigate the clinical processes used doctors who attended to four people who died last week of Swine Flu.

“The Chief Medical Officer is currently investigating the fatalities and I asked him to report to me in the shortest possible time," Narace told reporters Sunday adding that he plans to investigate all processes, not only the clinical ones.

The minister also referred to a newspaper article that said one of the flu victims had visited a private doctor in Penal twice for treatment before going to the San Fernando General Hospital. Narace said he wants to find out as well if that report is true.

“I have already instructed the Chief Medical Officer to conduct thorough investigations into the clinical processes followed by that doctor, our public hospitals, the private clinics where some of those people came from,” Narace said.

The minister said he is trying to find out whether there is any truth with regard to complaints that some local doctors are negligent in their approach to the treatement of the flu but added that he won't jump to quick conclusions.

“I have no suspicions and I am not prejudging anything...What I want to make sure is that a proper audit takes place and a report is brought to the Minister. We will at that point determine the appropriate course of action,” he said.

Four people have died in Trinidad and Tobago from Swine flu, all of them within one week. And the health ministry has confirmed that there are 163 laboratory confirmed H1N1 cases.

Narace noted that the people who died from the flu had all been admitted to public hospitals “at a late stage in the course of their illness and they all presented respiratory distress” and noted that all of them "had underlying risk factors", which complicated their cases.

He said many cases treated have been mild and the patients were able to return to normal activities within a week to 10 days.

The minister gave the assurance that the ministry has developed a pandemic plan for the second wave of Swine flu, which has already arrived. He expects vaccines to begin arriving in the country next month.

He again urged citizens not to panic. “This is a very serious threat and I have said on previous occasions while we do not wish panic or hysteria, there is great cause for concern and vigilance will bring is great rewards,” Narace said.

Critics have said people are frightened and are in a panic because they fear that the health facilities are not adequate to cope with an epidemic. They also say the government is only receiving vaccines to protest about a quarter of the population.