Gurugram starts free Covid-19 tests for those with symptoms at 5 centres

Shubhra Pant | TNN | Updated: Jun 23, 2020, 06:04 IST

Picture used for representational purpose only

GURUGRAM: In order to ramp up the testing capacity for Covid-19, the health department has started walk-in sample collection centres at five locations in the city. People with symptoms of the disease can walk into these centres and get themselves tested free of cost.
The five facilities include three primary health care centres (PHCs) at Wazirabad, Gandhi Nagar and the sub-centre in Dundahera. Two other facilities have been set up at the MCG office in Sector 37 and the civil surgeon’s office.
Testing at all the centres will take place for a restricted time period of six hours.
A medical officer at one of the PHCs told TOI that they have received the equipment for testing Covid-19 patients. However, it is not completely functional yet.
“Anyone who has been in contact with a Covid-19 patient and has symptoms can come and get their tests done. The facility is, however, not available for those who are asymptomatic,” said the medical officer.
On Friday, Haryana had fixed the price of Covid-19 RT-PCR tests in private labs at Rs 2,400. The medical officer told TOI that the facility is primarily for people from the lower strata of society who cannot afford to get themselves tested at such labs because of the costs involved.
Sources in the health department said similar facilities will be set up at other PHCs across the city. The move comes after projections showed Gurugram could have 1.5 lakh Covid-19 cases by July.
While more testing centres could give a clearer picture of the number of infections in Gurugram, most primary health care centres in the city are working with limited resources and one lab technician each. Moreover, the staffers have already been working long hours in tracing and isolating the contacts of those who have tested positive.
The PHCs are also responsible for deliveries and other health care issues. With the walk-in test centres, their workload is expected to increase and could make it extremely difficult for them to allocate resources.