A critically ill patient, put on a ventilator, tested positive for swine flu on Friday, a week after he had been treated for malaria at one private hospital and four days after he had been shifted to another, unconscious. Hospital sources said the absence of clear guidelines delayed the tests.

Sandeep Gaikwad, 28, of Chandivali is fighting for life at one of LH Hiranandani Hospital’s ICUs, from where all other patients have been shifted out.

Initially suffering from fever and a dry cough, Gaikwad had been admitted to Paramount Hospital on July 31 and put on antibiotics and anti-malarial drugs. His condition deteriorated and he was shifted to Hiranandani Hospital with respiratory failure on Monday.

The delay in confirmation follows an outcry over the death of a Pune girl, whose samples had been tested at a private hospital.

“We had informed the government and took samples to Kasturba Hospital on Tuesday. In the absence of clear directives, the samples were not accepted that day. After discussion, the samples were taken on Wednesday, and only this evening were we informed that he had tested positive,” Dr Sujit Chatterjee, CEO of Hiranandani Hospital.

Paramount authorities justified the initial treatment for malaria. “Malaria is very common in Chandivali. His family said he had not been abroad. He was responding to antibiotics and his condition worsened only on Monday,” said Dr Rishabh Oswal of Paramount.

Hiranandani Hospital has appointed a team that is attending on Gaikwad round the clock. A BMC epidemiologist is also monitoring his condition. The government has provided Tamilfu.

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