GMC gets a boost for Covid testing

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 2

The Covid-19 testing capacity at Government Medical College here has increased to 3,000 samples daily with Medical Education and Research Minister Om Parkash Soni formally inaugurating a new machine.

Talking to mediapersons during a press conference here on Tuesday, Soni said earlier the GMC lab had a capacity to process 400 samples only. With a sample being processed in six to eight hours and medical staff working in three shifts, the lab would now be able to test 3,000 samples daily.

The GMC lab, which caters to testing needs of seven neighbouring districts, received a maximum of 1,200 samples in a day so far. Soni said, “We are way ahead of the demand for testing now. We have also installed the same machine at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, which has a capacity to test 3,000 samples daily.”

He said the working of the machine at GMC, Patiala, would also begin in the next two days. With all the three labs equipped with new machinery, the state would have a capacity to test 9,000 samples daily. Earlier, GMC, Patiala, had a capacity to test 400 samples while Faridkot lab had a capacity of merely 250 samples daily.

Apart from the GMC lab here, three private labs have also been given permission to test Covid-19 samples. “We would conduct extensive testing in the next few days and the present infrastructure upgrade is a step in this regard,” said the minister. The college authorities stated that initially when Covid 19 testing was started here, the GMC had a capacity to test 40 samples daily.”

Soni said the state government had effectively managed the situation so far. “We have also made arrangements for admitting patients in case of a spike and our team of health professionals is doing a wonderful job,” he said about Punjab’s preparedness in view of the rising number of cases.

Tests of 80 MC employees done, all -ve

• The MC on Tuesday conducted Covid tests of its 80 employees after one of the employees, Deepak Kumar, tested positive last week. All these employees tested negative. Initially, Covid-19 tests of 12 employees, who came in contact with him, were conducted
• On Friday, the MC had suspended the functioning at Citizen Facilitation Centre, where Deepak Kumar was deployed. After getting the report of the employees, the MC reopened the Citizen Facilitation Centre