The coronavirus has crippled both; the Indian economy and the Indian healthcare system. The primary reason why the COVID-19 health crisis poses a special threat in India is because of its large size. The country’s porous internal borders are one of the reasons behind the spike in the COVID-19 infections in the country. One of the ways to combat the coronavirus infections in India is to ramp up the testing. In order to do so, the Chandigarh government has allowed private ICMR approved labs of Chandigarh to use RT-PCR for COVID-19 diagnosis even in patients without a prescription.
Earlier even though the Chandigarh administration had allowed the private labs to conduct unprescribed COVID-19 testing, private labs had refused to do so. This is because recent ICMR guidelines don’t allow COVID-19 testing of patients without a prescription. Therefore, the Chandigarh government has decided to reiterate its earlier order.
The new order was issued by the Chandigarh government on August 5. The Chandigarh Administration will set up a payment facility and decide a minimum payable amount for the COVID-19 testing. All the private labs will have to follow these guidelines. The government has further urged the labs to quote the Chandigarh Administration guidelines or write Directorate of Health Services in the prescription column of the testing forms.
To date, there are only three private labs in Chandigarh that are conducting COVID-19 testing. These labs are SRL Diagnostic Laboratory, Atulaya Healthcare, and Metropolis Healthcare Center. All these labs are located in Sector-11 of Chandigarh. So, if you’re experiencing flu-like symptoms, you no longer have to wait for a doctor’s prescription to get yourself tested for COVID-19. This step is certainly one that will make all the other state governments rethink their testing guidelines. India needs to revamp its testing. Currently, India tests only 324 people out of every 10 lakh. Therefore, this step by the Chandigarh government is certainly in the right direction.