Thaindian News

Gandhinagar, Aug 12 (IANS) Chief Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday called for greater centre-state coordination and the involvement of private hospitals to control the spread of the H1N1 virus in Gujarat which has reported two swine flu deaths so far.
After an all-party meeting convened by him at his office here, Modi said: “There is need for urgent centre-state coordination for tackling the crisis that has erupted with the spread of swine flu in Gujarat.”

He said the central government would need to involve private institutions which can help with treating and testing those suspected to be carrying the swine flu virus in Gujarat.

The meeting was attended by the state party chiefs and senior leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, Nationalist Congress Party attended the meeting. The party chiefs assured all assistance to the state government.

The Gujarat health department in a statement here said there are currently a total of 13 positive cases of swine flu in Gujarat and another 84 are suspected to be carrying the H1N1 virus.

Of the confirmed cases, 11 are being treated at the civil hospital in Ahmedabad and two others are admitted at the government run SSG Hospital in Vadodara.

The state has witnessed two swine flu deaths during the past one week, with an NRI, Pravin Patel, dying at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital Aug 9 and a seven-year-old girl, Arya Burade, dying at the government SSG Hospital Aug 11.

The Gujarat government has urged the union health ministry to send a total of 250 Reagent medical kits and more Tamiflu tablets for testing and treatment of the patients respectively.