Two days after the state government announced that private labs testing coronavirus samples would double up as fever clinics, the labs have expressed their inability to do so. They have also alleged that no consultations have been held with them before the government sent the circular.
The government circular on Tuesday said only fever clinics would be the first point of contact for Covid-19 suspects.
Sixty urban primary health centres, 36 private hospitals and two labs — Neuberg Anand Diagnostic Laboratory, Shivajinagar, and Cancyte Technologies Private Limited, Basavanagudi — have been identified as fever clinics.
“We are only a lab,” Dr K N Sridhar, founder and managing director of Cancyte Technologies Private Limited, told DH. “Unless we have a facility with clinicians, it will be difficult for us (to function as a clinic). Clinicians must run the clinics.”
“Hospitals must take the lead. We have conveyed this to the government on Wednesday and they have convened another meeting on Thursday,” he added.
Dr Sujay Prasad, medical director, Neuberg Anand Diagnostic Laboratory, said the government did not hold a dialogue with the private labs before issuing the circular.
“We sent back a walk-in patient who came for checkup after getting the news that labs would double up as fever clinics,” he said. “We expect more people today, but have no choice but to turn them away. Currently, six of our staff are testing swab samples in eight-hour shifts, wearing bodysuits.”
Dr Prasad said the lab has no manpower or protective equipment to function as a clinic.
Procedural issues
Cancyte is getting only two or three samples due to issues in sample collection.
“The physician must upload a symptom form that needs to be reviewed by a committee, which then rules if the sample qualifies for testing, based on their understanding of the symptoms,” Dr Sridhar explained.
“This frustrates the physicians who see the patient and refer him for testing, only to be overruled by the committee. They ask ‘what are we for?’ I have conveyed this to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
“If the committee refuses test for a patient and he later turns out to be positive, who is responsible?” Dr Sridhar asked.