Centre Urges States & UTs To Ramp Up COVID-19 Tests Fulfilling ICMR Criteria

New Delhi: Citing under-utilisation of COVID lab facilities, the Centre has advised states and UTs to enable all qualified medical practitioners, including private practitioners, to prescribe coronavirus test to any individual fulfilling the criteria for testing as per the ICMR guidelines which will prevent any delay. In a letter jointly written by Union Health Secretary […]

Preeti-Sudan

New Delhi: Citing under-utilisation of COVID lab facilities, the Centre has advised states and UTs to enable all qualified medical practitioners, including private practitioners, to prescribe coronavirus test to any individual fulfilling the criteria for testing as per the ICMR guidelines which will prevent any delay.

In a letter jointly written by Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan and ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava, it was pointed out that in some states and UTs, the capacity utilization of the testing labs, particularly the ones in private sector, is "grossly sub-optimal".