PANAJI: Department of Health has procured five testing machines and 2,000 “Truenat” kits from Goa-based MolBio Diagnostics. This is a one-of-a-kind polymerase chain reaction based diagnostic kit which will produce results in one hour from the time of testing.
Molbio Diagnostics has recently received ICMR approval for allowing its Truenat Beta CoV test to be used for testing.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said that one of the testing machines has been installed at Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim and two each at Sub-District Hospital, Ponda and Asilo Mapusa. “We will start screening patients placed in these facilities within the next 24 hrs. This will benefit us in speeding up the screening process,” he has stated.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, during his daily press brief, confirmed this and has added that SRL Diagnostics, private laboratory in Porvorim, has been granted the permission to conduct tests for Covid-19 in Goa. The lab has been permitted to issue health certificates for Covid. These tests are expected to cost around Rs 4,500 per person.
Meanwhile, the Health Minister informed that International Centre Goa, Dona Paula has been requisitioned by North Goa District Magistrate to be used as a quarantine facility. “In the present time, the spread of COVID-19 is unpredictable and our preparedness is an absolute necessity. Hence, we have requisitioned ICG as another facility to ensure proximity for health workers and medical staff to GMC, to bring the them closer to a healthcare facility. At quarantine facilities, we ensure that the quarantined patients are provided with quality services like food facilities, good equipment, etc,” he has stated.
