No manpower at proposed RT-PCR lab in Bhandara

NAGPUR: Expected to have started at least a month back, the proposed RT-PCR laboratory for Covid tests in Bhandara is still a distant dream.

In absence of RT-PCR testing facility in Bhandara district, results of several tests used to be delayed due to which many patients were dying. State health minister Rajesh Tope, during his visit to Bhandara on September 24, had given directives to start the RT-PCR molecular diagnostic lab at the district hospital within eight days.
The Bhandara district administration is still in search of microbiologists, pathologists, technicians and pharmacists for the lab. On October 30, the health department issued a fresh advertisement for ‘walk-in interview’ to fill 20 posts. Interviews are scheduled on November 5 between 10am and 2pm at ZP health Department.
Bhandara neither has a medical college nor RT-PCR lab. The district only has TrueNat facility for Covid-19 testing. For RT-PCR tests, the district either depends on GMCH, Nagpur, or GMCH, Gondia. On September 24, when Tope made the announcement, Bhandara’s Covid-19 toll was 94. On October 30, it’s 215. New cases are under control and recoveries are increasing, but the number of deaths is alarming.
Even if the district administration develops proper lab infrastructure and manages to get manpower, the next crucial step will be to get necessary certification from AIIMS-Nagpur which is the mentoring institute for all RT-PCR labs in Maharashtra.
“We can appoint retired doctors and technicians on these posts. Age limit for doctors is till 70 years and for technicians it’s 65 years. Moreover, recruitment age has been extended to 38 years for general and 43 years for reserved categories. We are hopeful of filling up all vacancies on November 5,” said a senior official from ZP health department in Bhandara.
“Recruitments will be done on contract of 120 days, and can be terminated anytime without notice. The payment for skilled technicians has been fixed at Rs17,000. In Nagpur, experienced technicians are earning more than this in private labs,” said Vina Bhagwat, a lab technician working in the city.