Gandhinagar, Gujarat:
Thirty persons have succumbed to swine flu in the past two months across Gujarat while 122 others have tested positive for H1N1 virus, the State Assembly was informed on Thursday.
"It's true that cases of swine flu have been on rise in the state. 30 persons have died in past two months, while 122 new patients are admitted in different hospitals across the state," Health Minister Nitin Patel informed the House.
In a written reply to the questions raised by the Congress MLA from Vadgam, the Minister also said many effective and precautionary measures have been taken by the state government in this regard.
"Government has ensured that Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are equipped with modern facilities like ventilator, cardiac monitor and isolation wards at civil hospitals across the state for better treatment of swine flu patients," Patel said.
On a query of why there were only three laboratories in the state where samples of suspected swine flu patients are tested, Patel said testing for the viral disease required certain specific environment which is why it is being done in civil hospitals at Ahmedabad, Surat and Rajkot.
In Gujarat, Saurashtra is the worst affected region with 75 out of the 122 new cases coming from there in last two months.
Patel also informed the House that a single test for swine flu cost almost Rs 5,000 but the state government has been conducting these tests free of cost.