In order to cope with the increasing number of people coming for swine flu tests, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today announced opening of six more screening centres for the purpose.
"Seeing an increase in number of persons visiting the hospitals for getting themselves tested for swine flu we have decided for six more screening centres so that they can go to the nearest centre," Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar said.
Of the six centres opened at different hospitals, three would be in western and three in eastern suburbs. The hospital are -- Cooper hospital in Vile Parle, V N Desai in Santacruz, S K Patil in Malad, Bhabha hospital in Kurla, Kannamwar Nagar in Vikhroli and Saptapadi in Govandi.
"All the six screening centres will be operational from tomorrow taking the total number of centres to 12 across the city," Mhaiskar said, adding that these hospitals would the patients and collect samples of suspected cases for laboratory investigation.
"Samples of suspected patients will be sent to Haffkine Institute at Parel and National Institute of Virology, Pune," she said.
The civic body has also announced that the Disaster Management helpline number 108 will answer queries pertaining to swine flu.