Ministers fret over delay in lab reports\, demand swift action
Bengaluru: A number of ministers are unhappy over the way Covid-19 testing labs are operating, and have exerted pressure on the health department to get them to fall in line.
“The problem is not so much with government labs, but those privately run. This has often landed the government in embarrassing situations,” a senior minister said, not willing to be identified.
The long delays in test results reaching authorities figured prominently at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, where two ministers took the lead to highlight broad details of the problem.
Health commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey briefed the Cabinet about the steps they are taking to address the issues. He also conveyed the shortage of qualified technical staff the labs are battling, and until these issues are sorted out, the labs will function below their potential. Most are working only in two shifts even as the number of swab samples collected is rising by the day.
Primary and secondary education minister S Suresh Kumar, who is the Covid-19 in-charge for Bommanahalli zone of BBMP, said action would be taken to get lab results in a day compared to four-five days at present. The minister reviewed the situation in his zone on Sunday.
Karnataka on Saturday reported the results of about 20,000 samples, and elected representatives are looking for quick closure to samples collected as a means to control the spread of infection. The state on Sunday reported 2,627 cases with more than half of them coming from Bengaluru Urban.