Decision to ramp up tests in Sudurpaschim yet to be implemented

DHANGADI, JULY 14

Sudurpaschim provincial government’s decision to set up coronavirus testing laboratories in several districts is yet to be implemented.

It may be noted that the provincial government here in March-April had decided to establish a laboratory each in Baitadi and Doti, and one more in Kailali to enhance efforts to prevent and treat COVID-19.

The province is heavily dependent on Seti Provincial Hospital-based laboratory for testing, but the number of tests conducted is less.

Province social development Minister Krishna Raj Subedi said the establishment of a lab was delayed as it was taking time to ready infrastructure to fix the machine.

Besides, there was no response to a tender bid called for the management of logistics, including machine, to operate the testing facility and this also caused a delay in implementing the decision.

According to him, the process of establishing a facility with the capacity of conducting 1,000 tests on a daily basis as per the government’s latest decision is under way. Three machines have arrived in Dhangadi, he said.

Till yesterday, the figure of confirmed positive cases has reached 3,783 in the province while the highest number of infections — 1,006 — is from Kailali, the provincial headquarters.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 15, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.