Set up lab for testing Covid-19 in Mangaluru

Set up lab for testing Covid-19 in Mangaluru

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, March 15, 2020: The government and private medical practitioners stressed on the need to set up a state-of-the-art laboratory to test coronavirus infection in Mangaluru, on a priority basis, at a meeting chaired by MP Nalin Kumar Kateel on Saturday.

In-charge District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Rajesh said that the throat swabs of suspected cases were sent to laboratory in Manipal in the past. “Now, the samples are being sent to laboratory at Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences.”

The representatives of Government hospitals and private medical colleges said, ‘’There has been delay in getting results when samples are sent outside the district. If a lab is set up in the district, then the results of samples can be obtained immediately. There is a need to set up a laboratory in Mangaluru at the earliest.”

District In-charge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, responding to the demand, promised to discuss the issue with chief minister. “All efforts will be made to establish a laboratory in the district,” he stressed. Seventeen out of the total 27 samples tested negative for Covid-19. The report for remaining 10 samples are awaited.

Passengers are being screened daily at Mangalore International Airport (MIA) and New Mangalore Port (NMP). Self declaration from the passengers were collected from March 4. No coronavirus case has been reported in the district so far, officials explained.

Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh said, “Those who had returned from Iran and Australia were admitted to hospital after they complained about the symptoms of fever. Even if passengers arriving from foreign countries are asymptomatic, they will be quarantined at home for 14 days.” An isolation ward with 10 beds had been readied at Wenlock Hospital. In addition, three-bed special corona wards, separate for male and female patients, was set up at Wenlock Hospital.

In addition, three-bed ICU has also been readied. A 80-bed isolation ward was also set up at ESI hospital in Mangaluru. Special wards had been set up in all the government hospitals and primary health centres in the district. Even private medical college hospitals have isolation wards, the officials said.

The doctors attending the meeting raised the issue of shortage of availability of masks in the district. Of the five N-95 masks supplied to Bantwal taluk hospital,  only two are remaining for use. Kateel directed assistant director of Drug Controller to supply the masks

Former minister Pramod Madhwaraj, who got to know that there were no laboratories in Udupi and Mangaluru to test Coronavirus from the District Surgeon, tweeted and urged government to open up more laboratories in coastal Karnataka as soon as possible.

Courtesy: Deccan Herald