Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Monday gave guidelines to private hospitals on the treatment of swine flu, as part of its fight against the rapid spread of the disease in the state.
The Chief Secretary of Maharashtra government met representatives of private hospitals and told them about requirements for H1N1 treatment.
The state government took a decision to rope in private hospitals to combat the H1N1 spread after the deaths in Pune and Mumbai.
The state will shortlist some private hospitals to treat H1N1 patients on the basis of the facilities available.
As per the decision of the state, if the doctors strongly suspect swine flu, then they will be allowed to start treatment without waiting for a confirmation report.
A top-level committee under the chief secretary of the state with health and home officials was set up to take decisions on the issue.
Meanwhile, apart from hospitals, the Maharashtra government is also seriously considering how to control crowds. It has asked people to avoid crowded places and wear masks if they think they have swine flu.