Follow national guidelines for COVID-19 tests\, suggests IMA

Delh

Follow national guidelines for COVID-19 tests, suggests IMA

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Saturday said that the country should follow “one nation one guidelines” for COVID-19 testing and care.

“Multiple orders and actions at the State and district levels which do not conform to the national guidelines are proving to be disastrous to the doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers as well as the containment of the epidemic,” the IMA said.

According to a May 18 Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guideline, direct and high-risk contacts of a COVID-19 positive person, who are asymptomatic, can be tested for the virus.

But the Delhi government earlier this week issued a guideline that direct and high-risk contacts of a COVID-19 positive person with diabetics, hypertension, cancer and senior citizens can be tested. The Delhi government omitted “asymptomatic” people in its guideline for testing.

A private lab owner said that there are several asymptomatic persons coming in for testing and many of them need COVID-19 test results before getting medical procedures like chemotherapy, dialysis etc. “We are complying by the national guidelines,” said the lab owner.

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