Sole Punjab state lab short of water testing kits

Patiala, July 1

The sole Punjab State Public Health Laboratory at Kharar in Mohali district has been functioning without testing kits, which are used to check water potability.

DIARRHOEA OUTBREAK

Samples have to be sent to medical colleges, varsities for testing

As diarrhoea outbreaks are common in the state, testing of water samples assumes significance. Sources say the lab has been facing a shortage of testing kits for more than a month.

The Health Department has to request medical colleges and universities

for testing water samples collected from across the state. Recently, water samples collected from a diarrhoea-hit village in Patiala district were sent to Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana.

A senior health official, on condition of anonymity, said: “There has been a delay in the procurement of testing kits. In view of the shortage, the state testing lab authorities have been told to purchase the kits from local sources for emergency use. Even this has not been done.”

Dr Sukhdeep Kaur, incharge, State Public Health Laboratory, admitted that the lab was running short of testing kits. “I am holding the additional charge of the lab. However, I have already asked the department concerned to purchase the kits locally,” she added.