New Delhi, Aug 23 - At least 10 days after Bihar sent seven swine flu samples to Delhi for testing, the state government is still awaiting the results - exposing the central government's claim that it is equipped to provide the results in 24 hours.

'On Aug 12 we got the result of one sample we (had) sent to the National Institute of Communicable Disease (now National Centre for Disease Control). The day after, we sent seven samples but the test results are still awaited,' Bihar Health Minister Nand Kishore Yadav, who was in Delhi, told IANS.

'It's a matter of concern. We don't know why there is so much delay,' Yadav said.

Across India, at least three people have died due to late diagnosis of the virus and state health officials believe that unless the central government provides them test results in time, the situation may slip out of hand.

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and his ministry officials have reiterated many times that the central government provides swine flu test results within 24 hours.

There is no swine flu testing centre in Bihar. The minister said the central government has assured the state that the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute in Patna will be made a H1N1 testing centre.

'Two of our doctors are now undergoing training at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune,' the minister said.