Elusive Covid-19 test reports put citizens in a fix

A combination of centralised Covid-19 test results coupled with a dodgy ICMR portal is preventing some Covid-19 patients from receiving a copy of their RT-PCR testing reports.

Dr Shalini Rajneesh, the IAS officer in charge of testing said that technical problems with the Covid-19 portal operated by the Indian Council of Medical Reaearch (ICMR) where all lab results are uploaded, was preventing some test reports from being generated. “The current orders are to issue copies of test reports within 24 hours, but there is a problem with the portal,” she said.

The problem emerged in the wake of a government’s reversed policy of July 30 which barred testing centres and hospitals from releasing test results to patients. Health officials and testing staff told DH that these orders were to prevent "panic".

However, even after the policy change, a health official said that in cases, test reports are given only after patients request them from the testing centre. Delayed reports are causing major problems, ranging from an inability to return to work, to flying overseas or to combating stigma.

"My family and I were hospitalised at a private centre, and while settling the Rs 1.70 lakh bill, I was told my insurance company required a copy of the original testing report,” said a techie, who added that he had to wait 12 hours for the report.