Hyderabad: Private medical colleges to join Covid testing

Hyderabad: Private medical colleges will soon be doing Covid testing in the state. Already, Chalmeda Institute of Medical Sciences, Karimnagar has its facility inaugurated and SVS Medical College, Mahabubnagar will be following suit in the next few days. Other medical colleges will be following suit as they are in process of getting ICMR approval.

It may be mentioned here that more than 20-odd private medical colleges have been roped in by the health department for corona treatment with nearly 10,000 beds earmarked for this purpose already. Though decision was taken couple of months ago, government kept the private institutions on standby all this while.

However, with cases on the rise from last fortnight, the health department is gearing up for the testing times ahead. Initially Covid testing was confined to only government labs and hospitals. However, after High Court intervened, the government, which was reluctant to allow testing in private facilities, had to allow nearly 15 labs and hospitals for Covid testing.

With huge rush in these labs and some of them found not to follow Standard Operating Procedures, the health department has asked private medical colleges to take lead for the testing also apart from treatment.

" Most of the colleges are in the process of getting ICMR nod for testing and it will be completed shortly. Now testing is mostly confined to Hyderabad and Warangal. People in districts will get benefitted if teaching hospitals linked to private medical colleges also take up Covid testing. We spent around Rs 60 lakh for procuring RT-PCR machine and for other related requirements," co-owner of a private medical college said, adding that Covid test fee would be Rs 2200 per each person as per government fixed charges.

The Central team that visited state recently wanted Telangana to ramp up testing and with private medical colleges also joining now the number of tests per day is expected to increase further. Now tests per day have not touched the 5000 mark yet so far.

Meanwhile, teaching hospitals linked to private medical colleges in GHMC limits have started admitting corona patients from Wednesday onwards. Health Minister Eatala Rajender visited Kamineni hospital (LB Nagar), Owaisi hospital (Santosh Nagar), Malla Reddy hospital (Suraram) as well as ESI hospital, Nacharam to check the facilities provided there.