Testing capacity for coronavirus infection in Jharkhand has increased by more than four times in last one month. In the last week of July, while an average of 10563 samples could be tested daily the state, in the last week of August it has increased by 4.49 times to 47450. On the other hand, due to the increased testing capacity, the sample collection has also increased accordingly. The result is that all the samples that are being collected are not being tested. The waiting list of samples remains more or less the same. To solve this problem, the state government has decided to conduct RTPCR tests for the samples being collected in the districts in private labs. The samples which are not tested at the government level or the samples which still remain after the capacity of tests is reached, will be given to private labs and tested. The government will pay private labs for this. This will reduce the constantly increasing waiting list in the state.
In the last one week, 343762 samples were collected from patients across the state. Out of these 338642 samples were examined at various testing centres of the state. 12479 samples across the state are lying on the waiting list. On 27th August, the number of samples lying on the waiting list across the state was 10415, while on 2nd August 2 it was 14187. So far 9,99,243 people have provided samples for the corona tests in the state. Out of this 9,86,764 samples have been tested. 12479 samples are waiting for testing. The ability to investigate in the state can be easily gauged from these figures. More than twice the number of samples tested in the last 5 months before August across the state were been tested only in August.
The National Health Mission has started the process of selection of accredited labs to check additional samples to be submitted in districts at the government level. National Health Mission campaign director Ravi Shankar Shukla said that the tender has been released. The government has fixed a rate of Rs 1350 for the RTPCR investigation per sample. But the government intends to reduce this rate further. He said that the labs bidding the lowest rate for RTPCR tests will be given the responsibility of testing.
