Dharwad, nearby districts have just one laboratory for Covid-19 testing

Kishan Singh Bhorde | TNN | Apr 15, 2020, 08:00 IST

Hubballi: Dharwad and its nearby districts have only one laboratory functional so far for Covid-19 testing. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) permitted two centres in Hubballi-Dharwad, but only the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) has started the testing. Dharwad Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Dimhans), the other centre getting the approval is awaiting RT-PCR kits from ICMR.
KIMS director Dr Ramalingappa Antartani said the institution started Covid-19 testing on April 8, a day after it got the ICMR approval, and is receiving 40-50 samples per day from the surrounding districts. “It takes 12 to 24 hours to get the results,” he said.
Earlier, KIMS used to send samples of suspected coronavirus cases to the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory in Shivamogga or field unit of National Institute of Virology in Bengaluru. A day or two used to get lost in transporting the samples.
Sources said that if the testing starts in Dimhans, it can test more than 100 samples per day and reduce the waiting time to test samples from nearby districts. “Though the institute has all the equipment, it is waiting for RT-PCR kits from the ICMR,” said Dimhans director Dr Mahesh Desai.
Dharwad district has reported six positive cases of Covid-19 so far and netizens have been demanding the the government to set up laboratories for testing.
Meanwhile, Gadag Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) is also mulling applying for permission to start testing. Recently Gadag district C C Patil had asked GIMS director Dr P S Bhusreddy to apply for the same. Patil said more testing facility would help combating the pandemic.