NONGPOH: The Health & Family Welfare Minister, AL Hek, on Thursday visited Umsamlem village in Ri Bhoi district to quell people’s anger and clarify over a faulty COVID test of a 70-year-old man which showed positive recently.
The minister was accompanied by the Director of Health Services (MI), Dr Aman Warr, and other officials including the Deputy Commissioner of Ri Bhoi district, RM Kurbah.
Addressing the public at the Village Community Hall at Umsamlem, Warr, as the head of the Health department, admitted that there were some errors in the machine which had led to the man being declared positive for novel coronavirus but which later turned out negative.
Warr said that there is a one-per cent possibility of error in the testing.
He informed that the health fraternity was shocked by the report and, therefore, decided to conduct another test, which turned out negative and the same was intimated to the state government. After a thorough discussion, it was decided to make the matter public in a transparent manner.
Hek, while speaking to media persons after meeting the villagers, said that they decided to visit to clarify the matter as there have been widespread rumours.
The headman of Umsamlem village in his speech expressed gratitude to the state government, health officials and others for their visit and clarification.
“Since you have come and clarified on this incident, we hold no grudge and humbly accept it. As human beings we do make mistakes, but we would like to request the health officials and the government that from now onwards they should be careful, so that this is not repeated in the future,” he said.
Meanwhile, the family members of the elderly man said that they have accepted the clarification of the government, but also urged it to pay the hospital fees of their family member who is slated to be released from the hospital in a day or two.
