PUNE: The Indian Medical Association’s Maharashtra chapter has appealed to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and state government to permit Covid-19 antigen testing at private pathology laboratories across the state.
According to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), there are only 48 National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited laboratories in the state, which were permitted to conduct Covid-19 RT-PCR tests.
“These too are located mainly in the metropolitan cities. There are 5,000 laboratories run by private pathologists and microbiologists, who possess a postgraduate qualification, and are registered under Maharashtra Medical Council,” said Avinash Bhondwe, president of the IMA’s Maharashtra chapter.
“These laboratories are spread across the state , even in small towns and talukas, and will facilitate all citizens with access to quicker testing,” he said.
IMA state secretary Pankaj Bandarkar said, “If permitted, citizens from across the state can get tested immediately and collect the results in 30 minutes at a much lower cost than the RT-PCR testing. It will help widen the network of testing even in the remotest of areas and result in early detection and better control of the pandemic. With an addition of 5,000 testing centres, it will be easy to check on the people in containment areas and hotspot zones.”
Bhondwe added, “Permitting pathologists to conduct tests will also be beneficial for patients admitted to hospitals for non-Covid reasons like surgery, emergency treatment, delivery and other procedures.”
He said, “At present, this test is performed in government hospitals under the supervision of a medical officer, with or without pathology or microbiology qualifications. Why not grant permission to qualified and experienced pathologists?”
According to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), there are only 48 National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited laboratories in the state, which were permitted to conduct Covid-19 RT-PCR tests.
“These too are located mainly in the metropolitan cities. There are 5,000 laboratories run by private pathologists and microbiologists, who possess a postgraduate qualification, and are registered under Maharashtra Medical Council,” said Avinash Bhondwe, president of the IMA’s Maharashtra chapter.
“These laboratories are spread across the state , even in small towns and talukas, and will facilitate all citizens with access to quicker testing,” he said.
IMA state secretary Pankaj Bandarkar said, “If permitted, citizens from across the state can get tested immediately and collect the results in 30 minutes at a much lower cost than the RT-PCR testing. It will help widen the network of testing even in the remotest of areas and result in early detection and better control of the pandemic. With an addition of 5,000 testing centres, it will be easy to check on the people in containment areas and hotspot zones.”
Bhondwe added, “Permitting pathologists to conduct tests will also be beneficial for patients admitted to hospitals for non-Covid reasons like surgery, emergency treatment, delivery and other procedures.”
He said, “At present, this test is performed in government hospitals under the supervision of a medical officer, with or without pathology or microbiology qualifications. Why not grant permission to qualified and experienced pathologists?”
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