With four new labs receiving approval to begin sample testing, the city’s daily testing capacity has increased by 400 samples.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which had issued notices to private labs Metropolis and Thyrocare for irregularities, is planning to allow Metropolis to continue testing in a restricted manner.
Around 4,000 samples are tested for COVID-19 in the city every day at government and private labs. On Wednesday, 3,957 samples were tested. The BMC recently brought on board the National Institute for Research on Reproductive Health, a government lab, and three private labs: SRL Diagnostics, Dr. Avinash Phadke’s lab in Mahim; PD Hinduja Hospital’s lab in Mahim; and iGenetic Diagnostics in Andheri.
All four labs have a capacity of testing 100 samples a day. The State now has 51 government and private testing labs with a capacity to test 10,000 samples per day.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) website, Topiwala Medical College, Sion Medical College, HBT Medical College and KJ Somaiya Medical College have also sought approval to open testing labs. In the cases of the first three, ICMR has held discussions with their management about compliances. In the case of Somaiya, ICMR website says it has not submitted the ceretificate from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories.
If these labs are approved, Mumbai’s testing capacity will increase further. An officer from the BMC’s health department said ICMR has technical specifications when it comes to the infrastructure of labs and the applicants have to comply with them.
Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner (health), said, “We have told Metropolis to be ready. We might ask them to do restrictive testing. But two to three private labs have been added to Mumbai’s capacity. JJ Hospital’s capacity has increased due to the addition of a new machine. It has a good capacity and 500 to 1,000 samples from Mumbai can be tested.”
In the case of Thyrocare, he said, “We will give them a hearing, check their samples, and take a decision. The main issue was time lag; they collected more samples against capacity.”
Mr. Kakani was referring to JJ Hospital borrowing a U.S.-made machine that had a capacity of testing around 2,000 samples a day. The machine was imported by a Nashik-based firm which lent it to the State government considering Mumbai’s needs. The machine will test samples from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region on a priority basis and 500 to 1,000 samples from Mumbai.