Ambala molecular lab gets ICMR nod

AMBALA: A molecular laboratory established for Covid-19 testing at a government polyclinic in Ambala City got the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) permission on Wednesday, and it was inaugurated on Thursday Haryana home, health, urban local bodies minister Anil Vij.
While talking to media, Vij said, "The lab inaugurated in Ambala is equipped with RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction), Truenat, and CBNAAT (cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification) machines for virology and Covid-19 testing. These three machines installed at Ambala are presently capable of testing nearly 300 samples per day. Now the doctors in Ambala would not have to send their samples for testing at Rohtak, Karnal, or other places.."
Giving information about strengthening infrastructure in a fight against Covid-19, Vij said, "When the coronavirus started, there was not even a single Covid-19 testing machine, and we had to send the suspected samples to Pune or Delhi. But in the present scenario and within a very short period of time, now 14 machines are active in Haryana state."
When asked about cost of a test at the lab , Ambala civil surgeon Dr Kuldeep Singh said, "The private labs are charging between Rs 4,000 to 4,500 per test, whereas the government lab at Ambala will cost around Rs 700 only."