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Dimapur, Aug. 1 (EMN): The directorate of Health and Family Welfare has informed that private labs and hospitals have been permitted to install TrueNat and CNBAAT for Covid-19 testing, subject to mandatory criterion for obtaining National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accreditation and approval or registration under ICMR.
It informed that this is primarily to ensure high quality testing and ensure correct interpretation of test results and also to improve the overall quality of private labs and hospitals.
Registered private labs and hospitals within the state have been allowed to charge an amount of INR 1500 per test from the patient(s) for Covid-19 testing through TrueNat, which is subject to revision from time to time.
Further, as recommended by the ICMR, private labs and hospitals are free to test any individual in accordance with the ICMR guideline.
Necessary guideline can be downloaded from ICMR website.
Private hospitals registered under NHCE Act 1997 are permitted to use rapid antibody test as point of care (PoC) for Covid-19 testing subject to fulfilment of the advisory.
The permission was granted through a notice dated July 30, issued by the government/ ICMR from time to time, a DIPR report stated.
According to the department of Health and Family Welfare, interested hospital/ labs initiating testing through the rapid antigen PoC test are to mandatorily register with ICMR for data entry into the ICMR portal on a real time basis. Such hospitals/ labs are to send their details to the state nodal officer for Covid-19 testing addressing to Dr. Robin Lotha, joint director, by email to stonu@rntcp.oru and to contact mobile phone No: 81190 00484 for any queries.
Registered private hospitals within the state are allowed to charge an amount of 15% above MRP plus GST per test from the patient for Covid-19 testing through rapid antigen test, the report stated.
It further stated that only ICMR validated rapid antigen test should be used. The details of validated test kits list of companies/ vendors of rapid antigen test kits for Covid-19 could be downloaded from ICMR website.
ICMR has approved use of rapid antigen test for quick detection of Covid-19 patients and accordingly the following guidelines are to be strictly adhered to by all users: