Finally, Chandigarh health dept starts RT-PCR testing at GMSH-16

Set up at a cost of ₹35-lakh, the RT-PCR testing lab has been funded by the central government under the Emergency Covid Response and Health System Preparedness package

After battling three waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UT health department has finally launched RT-PCR testing at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16.

Though planned to have been set up by September, the RT-PCR testing lab could not be readied for months for want of required equipment. (HT File Photo)

The most-recommended test for tracing Covid infection in individuals suffering from influenza-like symptoms, RT-PCR detects the presence of viral RNA. It will conducted for free at GMSH-16.

An advanced lab for conducting RT-PCR tests at GMSH-16 was first planned by the health department in July last year after facing the deadly second wave in May.

Though planned to have been set up by September, it could not be readied for months for want of required equipment. Once the department sourced the equipment in February this year, a team of expert doctors started conducting trials, which were successful, allowing the launch of the facility in March.

Set up at a cost of ₹35-lakh, the lab has been funded by the central government under the Emergency Covid Response and Health System Preparedness package.

Dr Suman Singh, director, health services, UT, said, “As the trials were successful, we have now started collecting samples from the public. For now, we are testing 100 samples a day and will increase the capacity to 400 samples a day gradually. Apart from this, the health department is also sending more than 1,200 samples daily to the RT-PCR labs at PGIMER and Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32.”

GMSH-16 also has a TrueNat machine that gives results in three to four hours, but is only meant for testing in emergency cases. Besides, the city’s government hospitals also conduct Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT), which provide results in 30 to 45 minutes.

But during the peak of the first and second waves last year, the health department had found itself struggling to meet the daily testing targets set by the Union health ministry, as RT-PCR labs were only available at PGIMER and GMCH-32. It was even forced to turn to private hospitals for testing amid the spike in cases.