The AFMC’s microbiology department has been accorded ICMR approval for RT-PCR testing of Covid-19 and it has conducted over 3,000 tests till date. (File/Representational Image)

Lieutenant General C P Mohanty, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Command, felicitated the Army’s Covid-19 warriors at the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) earlier this week, for their “selfless sacrifice and dedication to duty to fight the pandemic”.

AFMC has constituted a Covid-19 task force to coordinate and monitor all activities pertaining to containing the pandemic in Pune and surrounding areas. The specialists, medical officers, nursing officers and paramedical staff have undergone special training on various aspects of Covid-19 prevention, control and management.

The AFMC’s microbiology department has been accorded ICMR approval for RT-PCR testing of Covid-19 and it has conducted over 3,000 tests till date.

The lab is also providing assistance to civil authorities by conducting tests for Ahmednagar, Nashik and Satara districts, as well as the State Reserve Police Service, Pune. The lab, which was initially set up with capacity to test 80 samples per day, has been ramped up to conduct 200 tests daily, according to a statement issued on Saturday.

The AFMC is also involved in mentoring various government and private medical colleges in the state to set up SARS CoV-2 RT PCR laboratories in accordance with the mandate given by ICMR and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

To protect the nation’s last resort, the Armed Forces personnel, AFMC has developed various advisories and guidelines to prevent, control and treat Covid-19 infection based on the best scientific evidence available worldwide. A large amount of resource material has been developed which includes posters and pamphlets on screening, testing and treatment protocols, guidelines for contact tracing, protocol for disinfection and rational use of PPE.