Kathmandu, March 20 The Ministry of Health and Population has decided to provide reagents required for testing 20,000  laboratory samples to the National Health Public Laboratory, Teku, in an attempt to increase the testing capacity of the laboratory in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry took the decision to increase the capacity of the NPHL after media reports criticised the government for failing to provide adequate number of COVID-19 testing kits. The government issued directives to all hospitals and health centres to give first priority to suspected COVID-19 patients who are above 60 years and people with pre-existing medical conditions as they are at high risk of infection, besides health professionals who are at risk of COVID-19 infection. The government also directed hospitals to designate one laboratory professional in hospitals as focal staff to coordinate with other hospitals on how to collect laboratory samples and where to send them for coronavirus test. The government also asked hospitals to send focal person’s details, including their names, phone numbers and email-IDs to the National Public Health Laboratory within three days. The government has told health professionals that they should only send lab samples to laboratories, not suspected patients with their samples. The government told hospitals not to send suspected flu and COVID-19 patients to other hospitals. It told them to provide treatment in their own isolated wards and to send the suspected cases’ samples to the NPHL. The government also directed other hospitals, namely Bir Hospital, BPKIHS and Dhulikhel Hospital that are capable of conducting COVID-19 lab tests, to start conducting COVID-19 tests. The NPHL will have to facilitate these hospitals to do COVID-19 tests. The government has urged Critical Care Society to prepare the roster of nurses, doctors and other health professionals to manage isolation wards and intensive care units in different hospitals. Nepal Medical Council has been urged to prepare a protocol/guideline related to diagnosis of COVID-19, its prevention and treatment. Since COVID-19 patients may require dialysis service while undergoing treatment in intensive care unit, the government asked Bir Hospital to provide at least one dialysis machine to Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, as well as the required technician to operate dialysis machine there. The government also decided to urge the home ministry to make security arrangements in hospitals as families of suspected COVID-19 patients may pressure the hospital to send patients admitted to isolated wards to their homes. It also asked hospitals to send people, who visit hospitals fearing that they might have been infected with COVID-19, to self-quarantine if the hospital did not list them as suspected patients. It asked hospitals to inform such patients in writing about self-quarantine procedures. The government told hospitals not to conduct non-urgent surgeries till April 12. It asked the concerned hospitals to provide accommodation to health professionals deployed to treat COVID-19 patients.