Four private laboratories have been temporarily debarred from conducting RT-PCR tests for COVID-19 as officials from Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project authorities have detected a sudden spike in number of tests being done at these laboratories based on data provided by United India Insurance Company.
Chennai:
Enquiries are on to see if there was any irregularity in testing protocols followed by these laboratories.
The number of samples tested increased rapidly in Orbito Asia laboratory, Bioline laboratory, Microbiology laboratory and Krishna laboratory, which are all Coimbatore-based, over a small period of time in June, according to a release. UIIC, which was allowed to provide insurance coverage similar to Chief Minister Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) for non-beneficiaries referred by public health authorities, had been asked to stop payments for June after the insurance company made payments for about 11,535 tests for non-CMCHIS beneficiaries till June 15.
“An enquiry committee headed by the Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan has been formed to look into the data and check for disparities. Several private laboratories are suspected to be conducting RT-PCR tests in asymptomatic patients, which is not in adherence to ICMR protocols,” said a senior official from Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project. Radhakrishnan said that TN aims at utilising all private laboratories for COVID-19 tests, but norms need to be followed.