Child PGI begins testing of samples, could scale up ops

Noida: Testing of samples for Covid-19 is set to begin at the Super Speciality Paediatric Hospital and Post-Graduate Teaching Institute (SSPHPGTI), also known as Child PGI. The lab will begin with 50 samples daily and may process 300 at a later stage. Test results will be available within 12 hours.
Dr DK Gupta, director, Child PGI, said trial runs were successfully held in the last two days after the testing machine was procured. “The lab in the microbiology department is now ready to process samples as and when they are received,” he said.
Dr Sumi Nandwani, professor and head of department, microbiology, Child PGI, said the lab had been approved for Covid-19 testing by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and would follow the recommendations of King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow.
“The laboratory has trained faculty and technical staff and all required equipment to conduct testing,” said Dr Nandwani.
On Wednesday, the administration also tied up with the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NIPCR) to use its lab for Covid testing.
According to Narendra Bhooshan, the nodal officer for handling Covid-19 response in the district, the NIPCR lab has a testing capacity of 5,000 samples daily and for the time being, it will process samples mostly from other UP districts.
It may handle samples from GB Nagar later, depending on the burden on the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida and Child PGI.
“GIMS is testing about 130 -140 samples, sometimes 180, daily. Between the two centres, we can cover about 350-400 samples soon. If the numbers increase, we will go to National Institute of Biologicals (NIB) and NIPCR,” said Bhooshan. While NIB has cleared its backlog, no more samples are being sent to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Aligarh and National Centre for Disease Control, as was the case earlier.