E-Paper
Inform authorities about Covid positive persons: Punjab minister to labs, hospitals
Amid rising Covid-19 cases in the state, health and family welfare minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said it was compulsory for all labs and hospitals to immediately inform the district health authorities about Covid positive persons to help strengthen the containment measures
Amid rising Covid-19 cases in the state, health and family welfare minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said it was compulsory for all labs and hospitals to immediately inform the district health authorities about Covid positive persons to help strengthen the containment measures.
Seeking wholehearted support from private laboratories and hospitals, Sidhu stressed the importance to isolate and provide treatment to all suspected or confirmed Covid positive person, besides timely tracing of their contacts to break the transmission chain.
“No private diagnostic centres should charge more than ₹2,000 for CT-Scan/HRCT test, inclusive of GST/taxes and documentation, and ₹900 for RT-PCR test,” the minister said, asking laboratories to strictly follow all the testing protocols laid down by ICMR, the central and state governments.
The private laboratories have been directed to share their data pertaining to the results of Covid tests with the state government and upload it on ICMR portal.
All private NABL and ICMR-approved laboratories have been instructed that patient information must be maintained with utmost confidentiality as per the laid protocols and strict action would be taken under the Epidemic Disease Act, Covid-19 Regulations, in case of dereliction in their responsibility, he said.
The minister said a Chandigarh-based lab was issued a show-cause notice for overcharging and the licence of one Amritsar lab was cancelled for violating the conditions issued by the state government.
