Covid-19 testing lab in Yenepoya Hospital, second in DK

Yenepoya Medical College Hospital in Deralakatte has received nod from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to test samples for Covid-19. In fact, 82 samples were tested in the laboratory on the first day itself. Yenepoya Hospital is the first private hospital in Dakshina Kannada district to get the ICMR approval for the Covid-19 RT-PCR.

The district now has two centres for the Covid-19 testing, including the one at district Wenlock hospital. The approval of a new testing facility will help in getting quick reports of the Covid-19 tests, as it will cater to samples collected from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts. This will also ease the pressure on government testing centre at Wenlock hospital.

After a detailed assessment by a team from National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), the ICMR gave its approval to start the testing.

The Yenepoya Covid-19 RT-PCR laboratory is well equipped with state–of-the-art real-time PCR machine, bio-safety cabinets, a cold centrifuge and others. It has 12 medical microbiologists and technicians who are trained in molecular diagnostics.

The laboratory is currently running the tests in two shifts and plans to make it functional round-the-clock if the sample loads increase further. As many as 240 samples can be tested at the new facility per day.

For the purpose of testing a valid prescription by a doctor, a photo identity card has to be presented as per the government guidelines. Well trained health care personnel will collect the samples in specially designed kiosks as per the ICMR guidelines. The samples will be placed in a viral transport medium and reach the laboratory in a cold chain. The test results will be made available to the patients within 24-36 hours of the sample collection. The test will be reasonably priced to keep it affordable thus enabling the neighbouring hospitals, nursing homes and others to make use of the facility.

As a part of its corporate social responsibility, the management has stated that each day a certain number of tests will be done at highly subsidised cost for the most deserving.

Provision for home collection of samples with all the necessary personal protective equipment will also be started soon, the sources said.

There will be a sample collection centre at Yenepoya Speciality Hospital in Kodialbail, sources added.