Private labs’ involvement in testing raises concern about authenticity of tests

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar July 25

With the district tally rising to 1,936 cases on Saturday, a dramatic rise in the “involvement” of private labs in testing mechanism, amid a recent complaint of overcharging, has raised concern about the authenticity of lab tests.

We received the complaint about the lab and the matter is being investigated. The report shall come out within next week. Meanwhile, the health authorities have been directed to ascertain authentic checks and carry out monitoring of all private labs. Private lab tests shall also be retested on TrueNat to make sure sampling is authentic. — Ghanshyam Thori, DC

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While at one point of time one private lab collected samples in Jalandhar, now there are six. A majority of those from affluent families also prefer getting tested clandestinely from private labs. Another trend being witnessed is the need for a Covid test clearance among those planning to travel abroad.

The DC on Friday had instructed health officials to re-check the authenticity of private lab samples by randomly testing private samples on TrueNat.

Days after a patient filed a complaint about overcharging for Covid-19 testing at a Jalandhar lab, the DC on had issued directions to the health authorities to monitor both overcharging of Covid patients and settle concerns about authentic lab testing. There is a lot of confusion about the status of private testing of Covid samples in Jalandhar as health authorities say only the ICMR can provide an official nod on the issue.

For a district where Covid testing has in the past also been mired in controversy with reports rife about lack of adequate contact tracing, mismatched tests (from private vs government labs) and clerical errors regarding names and addresses. However, the jumping of many private hospitals on the bandwagon has only added to the confusion.

Currently, six private labs are collecting samples of Covid patients in the district. As per reports, so far only one of them has received the nod to test samples in Jalandhar itself while the rest are sending them to other districts to conduct testing from authorised labs. As per the health authorities, these labs have received a go-ahead from the ICMR and not Jalandhar health department. Although they are supposed to intimate the civil surgeon after they get the authorisation and start testing. On Friday 27, of district samples came in from private labs and on Saturday seven to eight samples were privately tested.

In the wake of complaint against a private lab – if any malpractices, overcharging or false testing takes place at any lab – the DC directed double testing of random samples to ascertain authentication. Some days ago a Jalandhar-based charted accountant complained that one of the district hospitals charged him Rs 5,500 for an RT-PCR test even though the price has been capped at Rs 2,400 by the state government.

While Jalandhar also has many private labs which are reportedly looking to begin Covid testing, the lack of local checks might leave patients vulnerable. DC Ghanshyam Thori said, “We received the complaint about the lab and the matter is being investigated. The report shall come out within next week. Meanwhile, the health authorities have been directed to ascertain authentic checks and carry out monitoring of all private labs. Private lab tests shall also be retested on TrueNat to make sure sampling is authentic.”

Civil Surgeon, Jalandhar, Dr Gurinder Kaur Chawla said, “All the authorisation for private testing only comes from the ICMR. It is through the lists that we come to know about the labs which are carrying out Covid testing.”

Nodal officer, Jalandhar, Dr TP Singh said, “All the nods even for the collection centres come only from the ICMR. There is only lab which is carrying out testing in Jalandhar, the rest are collection centres. Private labs or collection centres are only supposed to inform us that they are collecting or conducting tests.”