Empanelled private hospitals can conduct rapid antigen tests: Mohali DC

The health department will provide the RAT kits free of cost to the empanelled institutions.

To ensure aggressive testing, early detection and treatment of Covid-19, deputy commissioner (DC) Girish Dayalan said the Punjab government has allowed private hospitals/clinics/labs to conduct rapid antigen tests (RAT) after getting empanelled with health department.

People queued up outside a Covid sample collection centre in Mohali on Wednesday. (HT Photo)

Giving details, Dayalan said the RAT kits would be provided free of cost by the health department to the empanelled institutions, and the latter can charge maximum ₹250 per test.

He said these private hospitals/labs must have a separate isolated area for the suspected Covid-19 patients where their samples can be collected.

The DC said the person taking the samples will have to ensure complete personal protective gear, while the institution should have the facility of biomedical waste management as per the guidelines.

Dayalan said all RAT results must be entered into the ICMR portal using the login ID credentials provided by the health department. He said these private institutions must maintain confidentiality of the patients’ records.