Grant NABL nod to private VRDL centres in Vidarbha: HC to centre

Vaibhav Ganjapure | TNN | Updated: Apr 24, 2020, 10:14 IST

NAGPUR: Paving the way for private medical hospitals in Vidarbha to start Covid-19 testing facilities, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Thursday sternly directed the central government to expedite their accreditation process and also set up a dedicated website for the process.
Since city-based AIIMS is designated as mentor institute for coordinating and facilitating setting up of Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) centres for Vidarbha, the HC added it to the list of respondents.
Any private VRDL centre needs accreditation from National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), which works under the Government of India, due to stringent norms.
From Vidarbha, Orange City Hospital and Research Centre (OCHRI), NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences (NKPSIMS), Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences (DMIMS), and Panjabrao Deshmukh Medical College (PDMC), Amravati, have applied for opening of such centres on their premises. Their proposals are pending with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for NABL accreditation.
“It’s expected that the central government should expedite VRDL centres’ accreditation of private colleges. The NABL may consider setting up devoted portal, only for the purpose of expeditiously dealing with such requests,” justice Nitin Sambre said.
Agreeing to the HC’s directives, assistant solicitor general Ulhas Aurangabadkar informed that if such pending proposals with NABL are brought to notice, their accreditation would be expedited.
“It’s expected that VRDL facilities can be made operational at private colleges armed with proper academic staff, provided such staff is given training of testing. If contingency arises, samples can even be allocated to these colleges,” justice Sambre added.
Earlier, AIIMS medical superintendent Dr Manish Shrigiriwar, who is nodal officer for granting approvals to VRDL centres, informed that Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS) at Sevagram in Wardha district is likely to get approval to start Covid-19 testing within two days. “The samples from Wardha and Yavatmal can be tested at MGIMS laboratory,” he informed the judge.
The software developed for facilitating video conferencing between judges and lawyers during court hearings from the comfort of home, developed a technical snag on Thursday, said lawyers. It forced them to rush to the HC premises in Civil Lines to argue their cases, where the judges were already present. The lawyers were made to argue from an adjacent room via video conferencing while pleading for case related to Covid-19 outbreak.