Maharashtra: As demand for testing increases, 6 private labs to soon conduct 1,150 tests per day

The World Health Organisation has urged all countries to “test, test, test”, to diagnose new cases, isolate them and treat them. Based on WHO recommendations, government advisories are allowing private laboratories to start testing samples for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 infection.

In the city, so far proposals from SRL (for 250 samples), HN Reliance hospital (100), Metropolis (200), Hinduja hospital (200), Thyrocare (200) and Infection Laboratory (200) have come to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Private labs have been told to procure necessary testing kits mandated by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune. These laboratories will require permission from the Indian Council of Medical Researcfh (ICMR) an will have to do so at their cost before they can start testing.

Once functional, these private labs will be in addition to Kasturba hospital and the recently approved lab at KEM, which have a total capacity of around 350 tests a day. Arrangements are also being made to set up two more testing facilities with ICMR-NIV unit at the Haffkine Institute in Parel and JJ Hospital premises in Nagpada.According to Dr Pallavi Saple, dean in JJ Hospital, they have an NABL accredited laboratory, which can start testing samples as soon as kits with reagents are provided to them. “We are only waiting for state government’s approval,” she said.

Initially, private labs will carry out tests for suspected cases referred by the BMC. They will test people who are asymptomatic but have travel histories or have been in contact with a COVID-19 positive person. “ICMR strongly appeals that private laboratories should offer COVID-19 diagnosis at no cost,” the latest strategy for testing the virus in India, released on Tuesday, said. Later, private labs will be allowed to conduct COVID-19 tests on people who have no foreign travel history, but wish to get tested based on symptoms like cough, cold, fever and breathlessness.

A BMC official on condition of anonymity said, “In the first few weeks, we will only allow private labs to test samples referred by BMC. The permission to test people with no travel history or close contact with a positive case, will come at a later stage based on guidelines from the central government.”

The NIV remains the apex institute in the country for testing not just Indian samples, but also those from abroad. It has a capacity to test 750-1,000 samples a day. Each test takes three hours, but counting the transportation time for samples, the result may take six to eight hours.

The BMC has also asked all private hospitals to inform about their capacity of providing isolation beds. Currently, over 10 private hospitals have committed 150 isolation beds across the city. BMC will admit patients who are willing to pay in private hospitals, while the rest will be admitted in BMC hospitals. Private hospitals have been asked to reduce their usual rates to 50 per cent, or Rs 4,000, whichever is less, for treatment. The civic body said patients will be charged separately for medicines in private hospitals.

In addition, if a traveller is willing to pay and falls in category A (travellers from abroad with symptom), he can be taken to the nearest hospital?Nanavati in Santacruz, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani in Andheri West, or SL Raheja in Mahim. For now, private hospitals are supposed to collect the patient’s nasal or throat swab and send it to Kasturba hospital for testing.