Talks on to borrow RT PCR machines from JU, SMVDU
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, April 12: To further increase its COVID-19 testing capacity, Government of Jammu and Kashmir is soon going to start testing facilities for COVID-19 in new Medical Colleges as well as Intermediate Reference Laboratories (IRLs) in Chest Diseases Hospitals of Jammu and Srinagar.
Official sources told Excelsior that Government is working on a plan to start Level-2 Bio Safety Lab (BSL) in newly established Government Medical Colleges in Kathua, Rajouri, Baramulla and Anantnag on war footing so that testing facilities for COVID-19 could be started there.
They said the Department of Health and Medical Education of the UT has already taken up the matter with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) which accords approval to testing facilities while process for procurement of materials and equipment for establishing these labs will be started within a few days.
“The training of technical staff for these labs will be started within few days in already established labs of the Union Territory,” they said, adding, once these labs are established and testing of COVID-19 started there, the testing capacity of J&K will be enhanced a lot.
Sources further informed that Government is also going to start COVID-19 testing in Intermediate Reference Laboratories in Chest Diseases Hospitals of Jammu and Srinagar. Elaborating further, they said these tests can be done in CBNAAT machines available in these labs by using special catridges.
“Government of India has already placed orders for these catridges and the first lot of these catridges is expected to arrive in Delhi within 3-4 days after which these will be distributed among States/ Union Territories,” they said, adding testing will be started in IRL labs most probably next week.
They said in CD Hospital Jammu, there is 4-module CBNAAT machine in which 4 samples of COVID-19 tests can be conducted in one hour. It means 24 tests can be conducted in this machine within working hours (6 hours) and total 48 tests in two shifts, they maintained.
“Government is also working tirelessly to enhance testing capacity of present facilities for which they are in discussion with University of Jammu (JU) and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) to borrow their RT PCR machines as the same is of no use there due to ongoing lockdown,” sources further informed.
They said that higher ups in Health Department have also appealed authorities of JU and SMVDU to provide their trained microbiologists so that their services can be used for COVID-19 testing.
When contacted, Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education Department J&K, Atal Dulloo confirmed that the process to establish BSL-2 labs in new Medical Colleges has been started. He said that they are working on war footing for establishment of these labs and start of testing facilities therein but the whole process may take 15-20 days and even more.
Reports of starting COVID-19 testing in IRL Jammu and Srinagar were also confirmed by the Financial Commissioner, who stated that in first phase, IRL Jammu as well as Srinagar has been selected for COVID-19 testing but later on testing may be started in other IRLs of the UT also.
“Yes, we are also seeking to borrow RT PCR machines from JU and SMVDU so that present capacity of testing in GMC Jammu may be enhanced further and all samples are tested and reported on same day without any delay,” Dulloo said.
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