Conduct of Covid-19 sample test is now permitted in private hospitals and laboratories to accelerate the testing process, state health and family welfare board vice chairman ZR Thiamsanga said on Sunday.
According to “The Mizoram Epidemic Disease (Covid-19) ( Second Amendment) Regulations, 2020,” notified in the official gazette recently, private hospitals and laboratories, which have the requisite facilities, will be authorized to conduct Covid-19 testing and samples collection, he said.
However, such private hospitals and labs have to comply with the orders, regulations, guidelines and instructions issued by the Centre or state government from time to time, he said.
According to Thiamsanga, the state government will have the sole discretionary power to regulate sample testing rate and to designate Covid-19 samples collection centres in private agencies.
He said that private hospitals and laboratories can conduct Covid-19 test with the help of mini-PCR or TrueNat machines and using Rapid Antigen Test kits.
He said that only two church run hospitals- Synod hospital at Aizawl’s Durtlang locality and Mizoram Baptist Church hospital at Lunglei’s Serkawn are likely to purchase min-PCR machines.
The management of Synod hospital has already approached the state government for purchase of the machine, he said.
Mizoram has begun testing of Covid-19 samples in its own soil from April 7 at Zoram Medical College (ZMC).
Three RT-PCR machines are currently being run at ZMC with a testing capacity of about 1,500 samples in a day.
Covid-19 sample testing was also started at Lunglei civil hospital in the southern part of the state on June 12 with the help of TrueNat machine.
According to Thiamsanga, apart from ZMC and Lunglei civil hospital, Truelab Quattro micro PCR machines have been successfully installed in the remaining 9 district hospitals and are currently running for sample testing.