Genome sequencer to get installed at MGM Medical College

Indore’s long wait to get a Genome Sequencing Machine for studying the variants of Covid-19 may come to an end soon as the city will acquire a machine with the help of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College administration is in continuous talks with officials of WHO and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on the issue while formalities for it have also been completed.

The college administration said that, if everything goes right, Indore will get a Genome Sequencing Machine in one and a half months. “We’re in talks with the officials and, if things go right, the machine will be installed in MGM Medical College soon. We’ve already prepared the infrastructure and manpower to get the machine working,” dean Dr Sanjay Dixit said.

Earlier, the Centre had allotted machines to five districts of the state, including Indore and Bhopal, but the state government planned to provide the machine to Hamidia Hospital, Bhopal, first. The decision had surprised city officials as Bhopal already has the facility of genome sequencing at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

At present, samples of Covid-19 patients in Indore are being sent to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi, and AIIMS, Bhopal, for genome sequencing to know about the variant of the prevalent coronavirus. “MGM Medical College was supposed to deposit the funds for the machine, but it couldn’t be done due to a lack of funds due to which it lost out to Bhopal for the machine,” sources said.

Indore worst-hit by Covid-19, gets variant reports in 20 days
Indore was the worst-hit by Covid-19 and adds the highest number of cases to the state’s tally. As many as 208,338 cases were found positive in the city and as many as 1,463 patients lost their lives. As many as nine cases of Omicron were also tested positive in Indore, but the samples were tested by a private laboratory. Free Press Journal