Patna, March 14: The health department would seek an explanation from Paras HMRI Hospital in the case of the middle-aged woman who died of suspected swine flu there on March 11.
The Bihta resident died of a cardiac arrest but a report the hospital administration received from a Delhi-based private laboratory confirmed that she had H1N1 virus.
The health department would seek an explanation from Paras HMRI hospital as to why the test was not conducted at Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), the nodal centre for swine flu test in the state.
The health department today collected blood samples of family members and relatives of the Bihta victim.
Patna civil surgeon K.K. Mishra today said: 'We would seek an explanation from Paras HMRI Hospital on why it didn't opt for the test on the patient at RMRIMS and sent it to a Delhi-based private clinic.'
Mishra added that all government and private hospitals in the state have been directed that in any case of suspected swine flu, the patient's test had to be conducted at RMRIMS but the Bihta woman's death is a clear case of violation of the health department directive.
The civil surgeon raised doubts over the confirmatory report of the Delhi-based private clinic, which stated that the woman was suffering from H1N1 virus. Mishra said: 'We are not sure that the woman died owing to swine flu, as she was admitted to a primary health centre of Bihta on March 5 with heart and chest problems. After her condition deteriorated, she was admitted to Paras HMRI Hospital on Tuesday and died on Wednesday.'
Mishra said the woman didn't have any recent travel record.
The health department wants the confirmatory report to be verified for facts.
But Ravi Shankar Singh, an official from Paras HMRI Hospital, said: 'We don't conduct suspected swine flu test at RMRIMS. Moreover, we have not received any directive from the health department that tests for all suspected swine flu cases have to be conducted at RMRIMS.' Blood samples of other persons were collected for suspected swine flu test.
