Swine flu lab still not recognised by govt

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 12

Even as Government Medical College boasts of a lab that conducts diagnosis of swine flu, it is of no use to the people because the samples of suspected swine flu cases are still being sent to the PGI, Chandigarh. The lab at the college is still to receive recognition from the Union Health Ministry and as per the government guidelines, diagnosis of swine flu patients cannot be conducted by a lab not recognised by the government.

The district has so far reported three suspected swine flu cases in the past few days. However, reports by the PGI have termed two of these cases as negative. The reports of the third suspected swine flu patient are still to be received.

As the lab at Government Medical College cannot be used for testing samples, the health department has to send an employee to take the samples to the PGI. “If the lab at the GMC is recognised, the botheration of sending an employee all the way to Chandigarh can be saved. Further, the reports can be received within a short time which can help in saving the life of the patient,” said a department official.

The lab at the medical college was inaugurated in April 2014 but even after a year and a half, it has failed to facilitate the patients. The project of setting up diagnostic lab for influenza at government medical college was started in 2009 when the state government had made a proposal to the central government in this regard. The project had got delayed at many steps and took five years to get completed. Now, when it has been completed, the official recognition is still forcing it to keep its doors closed.