Press Trust of India / New Delhi Aug 11, 2009, 20:46 IST
As the number of swine flu deaths in the country touched 10, the Centre today asked state governments to gear up their act to face the threat of the virus and dispatched central teams to all states and Union Territories to help them coordinate the preparedness.
Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad spoke to all the Chief Ministers over the last 24 hours and emphasised to them the need to step up preparedness.
The health minister requested the Chief Ministers to chair the first meeting of these teams so that on-the-spot decisions are taken for swift implementation, a senior health ministry official said.
Azad chaired a meeting of 35 additional secretaries and joint secretaries drawn from various ministries who would fan out to the states to assist them in preparing infrastructure and capacity building.
He briefed the teams personally today before they were dispatched to the state capitals.
While 14 additional secretaries would go to the big states, the joint secretaries would got to other states and Union Territories.
The teams would stay there for two-three days and would return by August 15.
The central teams will discuss with state governments new guidelines issued by the ministry of health and family welfare with record to capacity building issues such as identification of labs for testing and hospitals in private and public sectors for screening, diagnosis and treatment of swine flu patients.
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