Crowds flock to Govt hospitals, 3,768 suspected cases found

As more government hospitals have started screening suspected swine flu cases, more panicky people have started to flock to these hospitals.

As more government hospitals have started screening suspected swine flu cases, more panicky people have started to flock to these hospitals.

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On Tuesday, 3,768 suspected flu cases (they haven’t yet tested positive) were found across 13 civic and government hospitals in the city. But more people meant longer queues and delays in testing.

The staff at Mulund’s MT Agarwal Hospital, which screened 600 patients on Tuesday, could not even take a break between 8 am and 3 pm.

“We have been waiting here for two hours,” said Prabat Behra (28), who had brought his friend Sandeep Das (27) for screening. “We are from Orissa. My friend works at Pune. We had come to Mumbai for vacation.”

Siddharth Hospital in Goregaon screened 824 people during the day — the maximum number of people tested on Tuesday.

At Bandra’s Bhabha Hospital too people complained of having to wait in long queues.

“The test is free so I thought that I might as well get myself checked,” said Bandra resident Swati Tawle (40).

But not all hospitals saw crowds. Mahatma Phule Hospital at Vikhroli screened only 27 people. “It took us just half an hour,” said Chandrasekhar Yetale (26) who had brought his friend, Gulab Nikaze (19), for testing.