Private labs earlier banned by Delhi govt resume Covid-19 tests

The number of Covid-19 tests in the national capital, according to the daily health bulletin released by the Delhi government, fell to 3,700 on Monday, the lowest since the first week of May.

Seven of eight laboratories that were barred from conducting further Covid-19 confirmation tests by the Delhi government , started collecting samples once again on Tuesday after lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal reversed the state’s restrictive testing policy.`

A medical professional collects a swab sample from a woman to test for Covid-19 infection at Joint District hospital, Sanjay Nagar in Ghaziabad on Monday. (Sakib Ali/HT File Photo)

With this, Delhi’s capacity for testing has increased by about 8,000 tests a day. The laboratories that resumed sample collection are Dr Lal Pathlabs; City X-Ray and Scan Clinic; Prognosis Laboratory; SRL Reference Laboratory; Star Imaging Path Laboratory; Pathkind Labs; and the National Centre for Disease Control. The eight one, the laboratory at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, is yet to get a nod from the government to resume sample collection.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the country’s apex health research body, has approved 16 government and 22 private laboratories in Delhi for Covid-19 testing.

The number of Covid-19 tests in the national capital, according to the daily health bulletin released by the Delhi government, fell to 3,700 on Monday, the lowest since the first week of May.

Later, an inquiry was initiated against the labs and the access granted to phlebotomists (those who collect the swab samples) to the RT-PCR testing app was blocked. No laboratory across the country is allowed to collect Covid-19 test samples without logging into the app and filling in required details of patients.

These laboratories received their log in rights back on Monday and Tuesday.

The government stopped registrations of phlebotomists from Dr Lal Pathlabs in early May, after an inquiry was initiated against the laboratory over discrepancies in data. Dr Lal Pathlabs is the largest privately owned chain of laboratories in the country and has the highest testing capacity in the city, about 4,000 RT-PCR samples a day.

After resuming sample collection at his labs on Tuesday, Dr Arvind Lal, chairman of Dr Lal Pathlabs, said,“The Delhi government has given us a green signal to go ahead with testing; we have begun collecting samples.”

Still, labs are now confused as to who they are supposed to test.

“The labs are caught in a tussle between the centre and state. We got into trouble for testing asymptomatic individuals – as per ICMR guideline or when a doctor recommended it before a surgery or procedure. Now, we will try and avoid testing asymptomatic individuals to prevent any future confusion,” said the owner of one of the private laboratories, on condition of anonymity.

The lone laboratory that is yet to get a go-ahead from the government to resume testing is the one at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. The government, on June 5, filed an FIR against the laboratory for not using the RT-PCR app. The hospital, till then, was testing about 300 to 400 samples a day.

A senior Delhi government official said on condition of anonymity that labs such as Dr Lal Pathlabs and City X-Ray and Scan Clinic were issued show-cause notices for not registering with the city administration’s RT-PCR app.

“Now they (Dr Lal Pathlabs and City X-Ray and Scan) have duly applied for registration and have also given the names of their phlebotomists to be registered with us for sample collection. Accordingly, we have asked all 11 district administrations these phlebotomists in their lists,” the official added.