MUMBAI: The civic body said on Tuesday the home testing facility will no longer be available in the city, following instances of its inappropriate use and stacking up of samples. In another development on the testing front, J J Hospital has received a machine with a capacity to process 2,000 samples a day. The facility, though, is likely to be reserved for samples from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region as 18 laboratories cater only to the city’s requirements.
Additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani confirmed that a decision has been taken to stop home testing but if someone needs it urgently, the corporation will arrange for it.
“In several cases, it was noticed that people were calling up for home tests out of sheer panic, even though they were not candidates for these. Labs, too, went on collecting samples and, in many cases, beyond their capacity, which delayed reports for everyone,” he said, adding that a delay in getting reports can have a cascading effect on the entire chain from contract-tracing to quarantining.
Civic officials said anyone who thinks they have symptoms but cannot step out for a test can contact the helpline number 1916. “A doctor will speak to the person and advise what needs to be done. If the person is incapable of moving around, we will collect a sample and test it in one of our labs. Else, the person will be asked to visit his or her nearest fever clinic,” he said.
The civic body has served notices to two private labs— Metropolis (previously) and Thyrocare—for reasons ranging from bunching up of samples to alleged lapses in reporting. Kakani said they were awaiting a response from Thyrocare. “If the response is satisfactory, they can resume testing,” he said.
A civic official said it was seen that labs were collecting more samples than they could handle, thereby delaying the results.
About the lab at J J Hospital, medical education secretary Dr Sanjay Mukherjee said Nashik-based Datar Cancer Genetics has given the machine to the department.
On Tuesday, an RNA extraction machine was being ferried to the hospital, confirmed IAS officer Vinita Singal, who is overseeing JJ’s functioning.
“We will focus on samples coming from the MMR since they have limited capacity and resources. More doctors have been mobilized within JJ to ensure smooth functioning of the lab,” he said. Mukherjee said the department has added 51 labs to increase the state’s testing capacity.
Mumbai alone carries out 3,500-4,000 tests daily. More than 1.3 lakh samples have been tested in the state, of which 1.2 lakh were negative.
Additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani confirmed that a decision has been taken to stop home testing but if someone needs it urgently, the corporation will arrange for it.
“In several cases, it was noticed that people were calling up for home tests out of sheer panic, even though they were not candidates for these. Labs, too, went on collecting samples and, in many cases, beyond their capacity, which delayed reports for everyone,” he said, adding that a delay in getting reports can have a cascading effect on the entire chain from contract-tracing to quarantining.
Civic officials said anyone who thinks they have symptoms but cannot step out for a test can contact the helpline number 1916. “A doctor will speak to the person and advise what needs to be done. If the person is incapable of moving around, we will collect a sample and test it in one of our labs. Else, the person will be asked to visit his or her nearest fever clinic,” he said.
The civic body has served notices to two private labs— Metropolis (previously) and Thyrocare—for reasons ranging from bunching up of samples to alleged lapses in reporting. Kakani said they were awaiting a response from Thyrocare. “If the response is satisfactory, they can resume testing,” he said.
A civic official said it was seen that labs were collecting more samples than they could handle, thereby delaying the results.
About the lab at J J Hospital, medical education secretary Dr Sanjay Mukherjee said Nashik-based Datar Cancer Genetics has given the machine to the department.
On Tuesday, an RNA extraction machine was being ferried to the hospital, confirmed IAS officer Vinita Singal, who is overseeing JJ’s functioning.
“We will focus on samples coming from the MMR since they have limited capacity and resources. More doctors have been mobilized within JJ to ensure smooth functioning of the lab,” he said. Mukherjee said the department has added 51 labs to increase the state’s testing capacity.
Mumbai alone carries out 3,500-4,000 tests daily. More than 1.3 lakh samples have been tested in the state, of which 1.2 lakh were negative.
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