Saturday, January 7, 2012

Wary hospital staff stage protest, seek vaccination ‘Meningitis cases exist’


The administration staff stage sit-in at the hospital premises

Wary hospital staff stage protest, seek vaccination ‘Meningitis cases exist’
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 2: In the face of the Ministry of Health denying the discovery of cases of meningitis at the Farwaniya Health Region in the media, officials are giving implicit and practical impression that cases of meningitis exist, with vaccination they are giving to doctors and technicians in the Farwaniya Hospital.
The situation triggered a peaceful demonstration at the hospital’s entrance by almost 30 women working in the hospital at 8:00 am Monday to demand similar vaccination procedures, as they raised banners with the inscription “No Work before Vaccination”.

The protesters complained the hospital management was careless in handling the first patient infected with meningitis from a popular shopping mall in Rai Road on Dec 19, and that there were six other cases at the Internal Medicine Department, including children.
However, the Farwaniya Hospital Deputy Director Dr Abdullah Al-Khalifa denied receiving six cases of meningitis, saying the hospital has only recorded three cases until now. He explained that the first patient had died shortly after admission, and the second patient whose condition has improved was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit. He said the third case was a four-month old son of a worker at a popular shopping mall.
Dr Al-Khalifa affirms that the Medical Storage Department at Subhan agreed to send 500 vaccines to the Farwaniya Hospital immediately after the demonstration.

He also said the hospital has tested fifteen suspected cases ever since it recorded the first case, and they all tested negative. He cited a female worker at the hospital as among those tested negative after undergoing tests due to similar symptoms of the disease she showed. However, it was confirmed the woman was suffering from hemorrhage, he noted. Al-Khalifa explained that symptoms of the disease include headache, temperature and vomiting, and noted the hospital had only given the doctors and nurses antibiotics. He reiterated the hospital can only distribute anti meningitis vaccines when an epidemic is announced in order to prevent its spread, and that will be regarded as an emergency. He indicated the officials have arranged for supplies from the warehouse to vaccinate everybody since the workers feel uncomfortable.  http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/177979/reftab/36/t/Wary-hospital-staff-stage-protest-seek-vaccination/Default.aspx

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