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32 More Testing Labs Can Come Up With AIIMS As Mentor

Nagpur: Many ministers and political bigwigs in Maharashtra have announced that Covid-19 testing laboratories will be established in their constituencies. Some have also sanctioned funds for them.
But mere announcements and funds would not be enough for labs to start. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has designated All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Nagpur, as the mentor institute for sanctioning Covid-19 laboratories in the state. All new labs in Maharashtra will come only through mentorship of AIIMS Nagpur.

Authorities need to apply with the nodal officer at AIIMS Nagpur, procure instruments, train their staff, and undergo inspection. This will definitely take time.

“AIIMS Nagpur will serve as ‘Mentor Institute’ to 34 facilities in Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu. These include 32 medical colleges in Maharashtra except Mumbai and Pune,” informed AIIMS director and CEO Maj Gen (Dr) Vibha Dutta.

AIIMS will handhold and mentor medical colleges and facilitate the establishment of Covid-19 diagnostic facilities.

The list of these 32 institutes include NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur; Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Sawangi Meghe; Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Sevagram, Wardha; V N Govt Medical College, Yavatmal; Dr Punjabrao Deshmukh Medical college, Amravati and Government Medical College, Chandrapur. All these institutes will get mentorship from AIIMS.

Many more institutes in Nagpur and Vidarbha also have RT-PCR Machine with which they can start Covid-19 testing. These include Departments of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Pharmacy RTMNU; Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, Nagpur and NEERI, Nagpur.

“Regional Forensic Science Labs are doing such tests for many years. We have the RT PCR machines with us. We will be available as and when the state government approaches us,” said Dr Krishna Kulkarni, director, Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratory, Maharastra. The regional forensic lab in Nagpur is in Dhantoli and testing can start here.

“RTMNU’s Department of microbiology is willing to join the fight against coronavirus, but we don’t have enough staff at the moment. This department has done significant work during the earlier epidemics,” said HoD of the department Dr Pradeep Tumane.

Director general of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Shekhar Mande confirmed that Neeri Nagpur will be carrying out Covid-19 tests in its lab. Their labs have to apply directly to the ICMR.-Times Of India

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