Bhubaneswar: With Covid-19 cases on the surge, the Government of Odisha on Saturday allowed private hospitals, nursing homes and private laboratories to conduct Covidtest through Rapid Antigen and RT PCR methods.
According to a letter of Health and Family Welfare Department, it directed the private hospitals and laboratories to follow a specified set of guidelines to carry out the COVID-19 test.
The letter stated that the Nursing Homes, Hospitals and Laboratories should be mandatorily registered under the Odisha Clinical Establishment (control & regulation) Act, 1990, the manpower to be deployed for the purpose must be trained properly in consultation with the CDM & PHO of the concerned district, the institutions should have a dedicated isolated swab collection booth near their premises and meticulously follow the ICMR & BMW guidelines for the purpose.
The letter also stated that the testing result shall be uploaded in ICMR portal by generating SRF ID through RT PCR App, the result of testing shall be intimated to the authorities of the State in the first instance and the person concerned shall be intimated subsequently after 24 hours, these institutions shall follow the Antigen testing protocol as per the ICMR advisories and SOP for the same should be shared by the concerned CDM & PHO.
The Nursing Homes, Hospitals and Laboratories should conduct the testing through Rapid Antigen Kit at the rate fixed by government from time to time, the cost is Rs 450/- per test for the time being. The Antigen Kits shall be procured by themselves from the open market, it stated.
These institutions shall apply for the login credentials for entry of test results into the ICMR portal to the State Nodal Officer Dr. Braja Kishore Dash, Addl. DMET, Mobile No. +91-9437034888 through the concerned CDM & PHO or any other person designated by him for this purpose, the letter read.
It also stated that the results of antigen test shall be uploaded in the ICMR portal through the ID of concerned district by sending their own DEOs to the designated person of the district for entry of data till they receive their own IDs.
The department also issued certain guidelines for RT PCR method which said that testing laboratories of the Private Nursing Homes/ Hospitals must be NABL accredited, the laboratories can apply directly to the ICMR for login credentials available in ICMR website, the man power to be deployed for the purpose must have been properly trained by ICMR approved institutions like RMRC/AIMS, Bhubaneswar.
It stated the RT PCR machines should be installed in BSL-2 Laboratories observing the ICMR protocol/guidelines strictly, the quality assurance of the laboratories shall be done by RMRC, Bhubaneswar as per DHR guidelines, laboratories should conduct the testing through RT PCR at the rate fixed by government from time to time.
