Hyderabad: Two patients, who had tested positive for swine flu, left the private hospital against medical advice. The district surveillance officer had visited Kims Hospital in the afternoon to inquire about the patients, but was in for a shock, as both had left. Both the patients were above 50 years of age. While one of them, a female patient, has been traced to New Bowenpally, the other, a male patient, is untraceable. The female patient left before being told that she had contracted swine flu. Ranga Reddy district officers traced her, and shifted her to Apollo Hospital. A senior officer of the district medical and health department said, “The other, a 54-year old patient, walked into the out-patient department and blood samples were taken and sent for testing. But the complete details like address and phone number were not noted down. So no one has any idea where the patient came from and where he has gone.”

These two cases of “Left Against Medical Advice” have irked senior health officers, who said that it was not right to leave the hospital without proper treatment. Dr K. Narsimulu, a treating physician at Gandhi Hospital, said, “These patients come at a later stage in a critical condition and then it is difficult to save them. Leaving even a single untreated patient means allowing the risk of the infection to spread to 10 more people. People must understand that if they find that private hospitals are charging too much, they can approach government hospitals for treatment.”

Meanwhile, the condition of a 63-year old patient in Care Hospital is critical doctors said.