Bhubaneswar: A day after deciding to open a global tender to procure vaccines from open markets to ensure mass inoculations in the state, the state government Tuesday decided to set up RT-PCR testing laboratories in 16 district headquarters hospitals.
Health and family welfare department issued a notification to this effect. The testing labs will be set up at the district headquarters of Bhadrak, Boudh, Bargarh, Dhenkanal,Gajapati, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kandhamal, Kendrapara, Khurda, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Sonepur and Sundargarh.
Another district is Rayagada for which a machine has been ordered by the Odisha State Medical Corporation Ltd (OSMCL). The approximate cost of the each laboratory will be around Rs 1.20 crore.
The government has approved recruitment of staff including one microbiologist and three lab technicians for each shift (eight hours) duty. The move will not only enhance the daily testing rate but also reduce the time period now required for testing, official sources said.
Due to lack of sufficient number of RT-PCR testing labs, samples collected from various parts of the state are being transported to nearest lab each day. And it is delaying the time for getting results, the source said.
At present, the state has 20 RT-PCR laboratories of which 13 are government-run and seven are run by private organizations. All seven state-run medical colleges at Cuttack, Berhampur, Burla, Koraput, Baripada, Balasore and Bolangir have the facility.
Similarly, RT-PCR labs are functioning at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Ispat General Hospital—Rourkela, Institute of Life Sciences—Bhubaneswar, International Centre for Foot and Mouth Disease— Khurda and Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER)—Berhampur.
Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar is having a high throughput laboratory. Private-run labs are there in Apollo Hospitals, SUM Hospital, In DNA Life Sciences Pvt Ltd, GenX Diagnostics, AMRI Hospitals, Kalinga Institute of Medical Science (KIMS) and Kalinga Hospital Ltd.
True NAT testing facility is there in 32 healthcare facilities across the state while only KIMS has a CB NAAT testing lab. The state had tested 46,241 samples for Covid May 10, out of which RT-PCR tests accounted for 16,717.
Though the government has aimed to increase the daily testing rate to 50,000, it is yet to achieve it. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has sanctioned Rs 20 crore for the purpose, an official said.
PNN