Covid-19: Ministers fret over delay in lab reports, fear it can trigger super-spreading

BENGALURU: A number of ministers are unhappy over the way Covid-19 testing labs are operating, and have exerted pressure on the health department to get them to fall in line.
“The problem is not so much with government labs, but those privately run. This has often landed the government in embarrassing situations,” a senior minister said, not willing to be identified.

The long delays in test results reaching authorities figured prominently at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, where two ministers took the lead to highlight broad details of the problem.

Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey briefed the Cabinet about the steps they are taking to address the issues. He also conveyed the shortage of qualified technical staff the labs are battling, and until these issues are sorted out, the labs will function below their potential. Most are working only in two shifts even as the number of swab samples collected is rising by the day.

Karnataka on Saturday reported results of about 20,000 samples a day, and elected representatives are looking for quick closure to samples collected as a means to control the spread of infection. The State on Sunday reported 2627 cases with more than half of them coming from Bengaluru Urban.

Sections of ministers want the health department to ensure labs strictly adhere to the testing timeline protocol. They pointed out that the gap between collection of swab samples and notifying persons tested positive is a few days for those going through government channels. Only those walking into private labs and paying on their own get results within a day’s time.

By the time patients come to know they have been tested positive, many would have spread the infection to others. At another extreme, results of those under strict quarantine don’t get to know their results even towards the end of their isolation period.

A senior Cabinet minister, not willing to be identified, said a number of private labs are not happy with the rates prescribed by the government for testing the samples sent by the public health authorities. They are performing far below their potential citing one pretext or the other. While the government pays Rs 2250 per sample sent by public health authorities, walk in customers pay up to Rs 4500 at private labs.

Then there are also priority issues, said a senior minister. Some families are losing sleep stuck with dead bodies waiting for results of swab samples collected. “We have flagged this issue also to the health authorities,” the minister said.

In a video message put out on Sunday, former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy urged chief minister BS Yediyurappa to ensure test reports arrive on the same day of testing so that the government can start treatment immediately, and prevent risk to others. At present, by the time results come, they become invalid in several cases because of time lapse.

Education Minister S Suresh Kumar, at a review meeting in Bommanahalli zone of BBMP on Sunday, said the lab results are presently taking 4-5 days of time to arrive, and the government will take steps to ensure they are out within a day.