New machines to scale up testing at GMC

Tribune News Service
Patiala, April 8

To ramp up Covid-19 testing in the state, new testing machines have been installed at the Government Medical College (GMC), Patiala, lab. With the new machines in place, the testing capacity of the lab will increase by four times.

Earlier, the lab had only one machine, which can conduct 40 tests in a day. However, now, the lab will conduct as many as 160 tests.

Dr Harjinder Singh, principal, GMC, said three new units of Real-Time PCR machines had been installed at the lab. He said earlier, the lab had only one machine, which could conduct 40 tests in a day, however, now, the lab would test as many as 160 tests for COVID-19 every day.

Besides, the GMC lab has also got two RNA extraction machine used in the process of Covid testing. Two of these machines would increase capacity to a great deal because earlier, RNA extraction was done manually and would take time, said the GMC principal.

He said, “The new machines will increase the testing capacity by four times while the RNA machines will help to reduce the time of testing by 2-3 hours as it was done manually earlier.”

Harjinder claimed that the manpower had also been increased at the lab. He said three professors and 40 labs technician would work round-the-clock for testing the samples. Government Rajindra Hospital could now manage 600 Covid patients at a time, he added.