Keeping in view the current pandemic & to ensure aggressive testing, the Punjab Government has allowed private hospitals/clinics/labs to conduct the rapid antigen test for Covid-19 after getting empanelled with the Health Department.
The department would empanel private hospitals/clinics/labs which are willing to offer testing to people.
Free of cost kits
Sharing details, Mohali DC, Girish Dayalan said the the department will provide free-of-cost kits to the empanelled institutions.
The institutions can charge a maximum of ₹250 from a patient.
Separate isolated area
The private hospitals/labs must have a separate isolated area for suspected Covid patients where the sample will be taken.
Protective gear a must
Further, the DC said the person taking the samples will have to wear complete personal protective gear.
Besides this, the institution should have a proper facility of biomedical waste management as per the norms.
Confidentiality to be maintained
All RAT results must be entered into the ICMR portal using the login ID credentials provided by the health department, said the DC.
Private institutions must maintain confidentiality of the patient’s records, he added.
Source: The Tribune
Image Credits: Google Images
