New Delhi: With a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases seen in the country, private labs have ramped up their measures ensuring the safety of the patients as well as staffs who are working vigorously while collecting samples from door to door, as the demand for COVID-19 tests has increased rapidly.
In Delhi, as the cases of COVID-19 is witnessing a spike every 24 hours and with the introduction of new protocols by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and the Arvind Kejriwal-led government to increase COVID -19 testing in the national capital, private labs are intensifying measures for RT-PCR tests.
"All Biosafety standards are being followed inside the lab. For patients walking into our testing collection centres, we have created separate entry gates and have created special kiosks minimizing any scope of aerosol transmission between the Lab Technician taking samples and the patient. Moreover, we collect samples from home within 24 hours of request across Delhi NCR. Approximately 4,500 samples are collected per day”, said Chetan Kohli, Chief Operating Officer Genestrings Diagnostic Centre, New Delhi.
ICMR has approved Genestrings Diagnostic Centre as one of the centres to carry out COVID-19 testing.
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"All our staff coming in direct contact with the patients are provided with thorough training on safety and biomedical waste management. They are provided with the best quality PPEs to ensure their safety. They are monitored and tested daily. RT-PCR is anyways the gold standard across the globe and should be the test of choice. Although antigen tests are allowed in labs, we are still not clear on the regulations including pricing details", he underlines.
Earlier this month, the Delhi government barred few private labs from conducting COVID-19 tests for not following ICMR guidelines. Their service was resumed later from June 10 onwards.
On the other hands, Dr Deepak of PRL Prognosis Laboratories, Dwarka said, “We are collecting 200 samples per day and till now, antigen tests are not being conducted. We are ok with the price capping and there is no change in our strategies, we have not reduced the home collection of samples. Our sample collecting staff are collecting the samples form an individual’s home while PPE kits are provided for ensuring safety.”
"We are charging Rs 2,400 with no premium charges or home collection charges levied on patients. Although, we could have been happy if the government had given us some sort of price increment of Rs 300-500 for home collections but money is not primary for us; we consider as an opportunity to serve the people. A workforce of 60 people is hired to cater to the need of the patients including both asymptomatic and symptomatic," he informed.
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After the government reduced prices for RT-PCR tests from Rs 4,500 to Rs 2,400, there has been a lot of apprehensions in private labs.
Some private labs claim to face hardship and expressed disappointment, while some have welcomed the move by the government saying working in aid to fight the pandemic is more important during such a crisis situation.
"While we do need subsidized rates to ensure no one is left without testing for lack of affordability, however capping the price without consulting the labs may hamper the entire trace and track process", further Kohli added.
He said, “While enough RT-PCR kits are being manufactured in India, however, in addition to the consumables and kits that are directly involved, there is a huge component of indirect costs including scientists in the lab, logistics etc. Therefore, lowering the cost of tests can affect the functioning of the labs, especially in terms of maintaining the facility and human resources.”
According to the Union health ministry, the testing rate of India counts at 5,371 per million population. While 171,587 samples were tested in government laboratories, 43,608 were tested by private labs.
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