Berhampur: Healthcare facilities in MKCG Medical College and hospital in Ganjam district got a boost as a Viral Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) was opened Friday on the hospital premises, a report said Saturday.
The Viral Disease Research Laboratory has been established on the hospital premises by the Department of Health Research (DHR) under the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW).
The laboratory will help in genetic studies and identifying molecular characterisation of Covid-19 pandemic and other viral diseases.
The new laboratory comprises two scientists, a research assistant, two laboratory technicians, an operator and a multi-purpose health worker.
After its launch, the laboratory is receiving around 200 samples for test per day. After the advent of Covid-19 pandemic, samples collected from suspected patients in Ganjam and other adjoining districts were being tested at MKCG Medical College and Hospital. Testing of the collected samples was the only way to establish whether a person is Covid positive or free from it.
However, the test failed to identify the type of Covid-19 virus present in an affected patient. As a result, the samples had to be sent to the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) for further tests to identify the type of viruses present in a patient.
Earlier, the MKCG Medical College and Hospital had an existing multi-purpose laboratory at the Microbiology department of the hospital. However, it had no specific laboratory for conducting specialised research on various types of viral diseases.
The establishment of the new laboratory will not only help identify the new variants and perform the genetic studies of Covid-19 virus but also help research other diseases like dengue, Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis B and C, HIV, measles and rubella.
The new laboratory is also equipped to conduct tests on any new virus which might strike the human society in the coming days, hospital sources said.
As the Covid-19 pandemic has raised its ugly head again, establishment of the new laboratory will be highly helpful for the people residing in south Odisha.
PNN