A week on, JJ hospital starts testing samples

The Sir JJ Hospital on Friday started testing samples of suspected Covid-19 cases, a week after it got permission from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The Sir JJ Hospital on Friday started testing samples of suspected Covid-19 cases, a week after it got permission from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). It tested the 46 samples sent from Kasturba Hospital.

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HT had reported earlier that the state health department-run Sir JJ Hospital had got approval to start Covid-19 testing laboratory, but they couldn’t start the facility, as they didn’t have personal protective equipment (PPE). They have now got protective gears to run the laboratory for the next 15 days. The hospital plans to start testing 1,000 samples daily. “We have started the facility with 46 samples, but if we get more manpower, we can test at least 1,000 samples daily, which can give a big boost to the city’s testing capacity. We have already spoken to the health ministry,” said Dr Pallavi Saple, dean of the hospital.

JJ Hospital takes the total number of testing facilities in the city to 11, after Kasturba Hospital, King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital and eight private laboratories. The facility could be set up as a philanthropist donated a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machine worth ₹80 lakh. A suspect’s swab is put in a 3-ml viral transport medium to allow the virus to grow in a 10-ml tube. Then the RNA gene of the virus is extracted from the sample which is later fed into an RT-PCR machine for identification. If the sample turns blue, it confirms the presence of the virus. “We are thankful to people who are forwarding for help. We are also trying to procure PPE through donations,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Central and Western Railway will begin procuring protective gears, including masks, gloves and hazmat suits for their employees. The zonal railways will also procure ventilators. In a meeting on Thursday, the railway ministry asked all zones to prepare a list of all protective gears and start procuring all that will be required for the railways frontline staff. The Indian railways is also contemplating the transportation of ventilators through their freight train, if required during medical emergencies. Gloves, masks, hazmat suits and ventilators will be made available to the trackmen, linesmen, railway station staff and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel.

Both, the CR and WR workshops in Matunga, Parel and Lower Parel have started manufacturing masks and hand sanitisers for the employees, including Railway Protection Force(RPF) personnel and railway staff working in hospitals. Two thousand masks have been manufactured. The CR has created quarantine facilities with 1,050 beds across railway hospitals in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur.