Covid-19 testing centre set up at DU’s Hansraj College

The RT-PCR testing centre in collaboration with a private company.

Delhi University’s (DU) Hansraj College on Wednesday set up a Covid-19 testing centre on its premises for the university community, days after college principal Rama Sharma wrote to various authorities offering the campus for the setting up of a Covid care centre, vaccination centre, and a testing centre.

A View Of Hansraj College Building in Delhi University. (Hindustan Times)

Sharma had last week written to the lieutenant-governor (L-G) Anil Baijal, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, and health minister Satyendar Jain, among others, offering up the Hansraj College campus for Covid-19 related activities.

In her letter dated May 9, Sharma said, “We are all going through a bad phase and the pandemic is posing many challenges. It is increasingly being understood that each one of us must come forward and lend our hands, resources, and logistics to fight the pandemic... Hansraj College has a hostel that caters to 200 residents. We are ready to offer the space and with your support that can be converted into a 100-bed ICU facility as the Covid patients are not getting hospital beds and that is causing anxiety. University employees and their families are also facing challenges as facilities are scattered and infected people are increasing every day.”

She had also requested a vaccination centre and a testing centre on the campus. “We also request you to set up a vaccination centre (Covishield) (currently there is no vaccination centre in the North Campus) and testing centre in the college for the university teaching and non-teaching staff,” she wrote.

“We have opened this RT-PCR testing centre in collaboration with a private company. There was no testing centre on the DU’s North Campus until now. The centre also provides home collection service to the university staff and test reports will be given within 24 hours,” Sharma said.

“We also want to start a vaccination centre and a 100-bed covid care facility on the college campus as soon as possible. We are ready with 100 beds and if the government provides us with the resources we can set up a proper Covid-19 care centre,” the principal said.