First West Bengal private lab gets nod for coronavirus test

KOLKATA: Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals Kolkata (AGHK) is all set to start testing Covid-19 samples soon. So far, the hospital’s laboratory is the only private laboratory in the state that that has got the nod from ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) to run a test on swab samples of Covid-19 suspected patients. The hospital is waiting for kits to arrive to take in samples.
“We got the permission from ICMR to conduct the tests on Wednesday evening.We have ordered for the kits from Mylabs Science right after getting the green signal. We will start conducting tests within 24 hours of receiving the kits,” said Shyamasis Bandyopadhyay, director medical service at AGHK.

Atleast five private bodies, including Peerless Hospital, Suraksha Hospital and Medica Hospital, had applied for this nod. Their results are awaited.
With an increasing number of corona suspected patients and the ICMR extending the category of people whose swab samples have to be tested, pressure was mounting on ICMR-NICED and IPGMER, the only two facilities where samples from different hospitals in across the state are being tested.
“There is the need to test more samples not only in West Bengal but across the country. But due to the existing infrastructure we were initially testing only the symptomatic patients. If private laboratories start conducting tests for those who can afford, it will put some load off government labs,” said a health department official.
The central government a few days ago had decided to allow NABL accredited laboratories for real time PCR assay for RNA virus to conduct confirmatory test on swab samples of Covid-19 suspects. At least five private laboratories from Kolkata had applied for the registration with ICMR. So far only AGHK got the sanction.
“Our chief consultant microbiologist will head the team that will run the laboratory,” said Bandyopadhyay.
Only on Wednesday, the Bengal CM had rued that the central government had not given sanction to any private laboratory in the state. So far, ICMR has permitted 29 private labs across eight states in the country. For states like Maharashtra, where the Covid-19 count has crossed 100, nine private labs have been allowed to conduct tests. Smaller states like Delhi where the number of the infected has touched 35, four such private labs have been permitted.
“Though the state government will start testing at three more labs attached with its hospitals, if the ICMR does not sanction more private labs to conduct the tests, it’s still going to be tough for the state,” said a senior health department official.
The private labs have been allowed to use US FDA-approved kits. But the government has capped the charges for each test at Rs 4,500.
Along with ICMR-NICED and IPGMER in the public sector, the laboratory at government run School of Tropical Medicine Kolkata will start taking in samples as 200 kits arrived for its facility on Thursday. Two more government facilities — Midnapore Medical College and North Bengal Medical College are, however, waiting for kits.