New Delhi, Jul 30 (IANS): Congress Treasurer Ahmed Patel has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that a Union Health Ministry team be sent to Bharuch in Gujarat as the situation is deteriorating there due to the pandemic.

In the letter he said the situation in Bharuch and several other districts of the state is "worrisome". If appropriate steps are not taken the pandemic will "crush" the state's healthcare infrastructure and will have a "cascading" impact on the lives of the people.

"It is my humble submission that you may consider sending a team of Union Health Ministry to Bharuch and other vulnerable districts of Gujarat so that they may assess the ground situation," wrote Patel.

Ahmed Patel in the letter said that testing in Gujarat is very low and only 9,000 tests have been conducted in Bharuch so far. He emphasised that testing facility should be provided in the rural areas so that people should not be forced to travel to big cities in these times.

He said that cremation grounds should not become the source of the virus spread, proper precautions should be taken in this regard. All hospitals in Gujarat should be equipped with ventilators and oxygen, he demanded.

He said the Gujarat mortality rate is high and needs to be brought under control.

Gujarat till Wednesday recorded a total of 59,126 Covid cases and 2,396 deaths.