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Private labs earned profits in crores during the swine flu hysteria

The test which costs around Rs 4,500 to Rs 6,000 was not necessary for everyone with flu symptoms.

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Due to reports of swine flu spreading rapidly across the Indian states earlier this year, panic-ridden citizens in India spent more than Rs 8.25 crore on the H1N1 tests. The private laboratories in made huge profits as people with common cold and fever rushed to the labs to get them tested.

Out of all the people tested in the city for the contagious virus, only 20% tested positive according to reports. This highlights that the test was not required for the majority of the people.

The test which costs around Rs 4,500 to Rs 6,000 was not necessary for everyone with flu symptoms and as per the Union health ministry guidelines only serious and hospitalized patients wer required to take the virus test. 

According to BMC's epidemiologist, Dr Mini Khetrapal, almost 1,335 who required hospitalisation were the only people who needed to take the H1N1 tests. she said, ""It shows that only about 9% of the overall number of patients who took the test actually needed it." She also said that some of the patients insisted on getting tested even when they were advised against it, a leading daily reported. 

The state had urged the laboratories to charge a reasonable amount for the test due to the increasing swine flu scare, however a senior state official said, " "A few of them claimed to have slashed their rates to Rs 4,000 but they continued to charge a few more thousands under different overheads, such as disposables."


 

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