SHILLONG: With the rush of returnees, NEIGRIHMS, which has been fully stretched in performing an average of 400 RCT-PCR tests for COVID-19 per day, is looking ahead to the launching of two more testing centres shortly.
According to Dean of Microbiology Dr AC Phukan, a dedicated team of about 23 people have been working round the clock for ensuring timely delivery of the test results so that quarantine centres are not overburdened and returnees can go for home quarantine.
As the ICMR designated nodal officer and principal investigator, Dr Phukan has been in constant touch with the Council for more testing centres in the state to reduce the burden on NEIGRIHMS and also to speed up testing. Each test takes a minimum of eight hours and the team comprising senior doctors and technicians have been working 24×7 in three equal shifts.
On a particular day, Dr Phukan said he got as many as 858 samples, the highest in one day under his watch. “Every day is a struggle because we are dealing with machines and I pray that the machines don’t hang because if that happens testing can get delayed. We are working round the clock in shifts but we also have to allow the machines some rest. Moreover we have to take special care to maintain the required temperature for the machines to function well,” Dr Phukan informed adding that at times tests have to be repeated. This leads to further delays.
He informed that by the coming week, Nazareth Hospital and Pasteur Institute will soon have full-fledged laboratories for RCT-PCR tests. This will ease the pressure on NEIGRIHMS.
As of today, samples from Garo Hills too are being sent to NEIGRIHMS. When asked why the testing laboratory in Tura Civil Hospital is not running, Dr Phukan said that too will start in the coming week.
However it is learnt from NEIGRIHMS sources that Dr Phukan is presently under quarantine since he was travelling and has therefore not been to the testing lab.
Currently the laboratory is burdened with over 1500 tests samples per day, thereby putting a lot of pressure on the technical staff.
Sources inform that earlier the samples that came in bulk from the different districts of Meghalaya were only recorded with the patients name, age and address and sent in bulk to the nodal officers of each district. Now the state government requires a detailed certificate for each person whose swab sample is tested.
It is learnt that while earlier there were only 10 testing laboratories in the whole NE Region. Now the ICMR has granted 32 labs. Dr Phukan will be supervising the function of these labs.
Dr Phukan further informed that the highest number of samples for COVID testing were coming from Garo Hills because of the large number of returnees from there.
