CHITWAN, AUGUST 11

Bharatpur COVID-19 laboratory built in April in a short period of time, is struggling to perform. Shortage of human resources has marred the laboratory’s service delivery.

The lab established under Bharatpur Hospital has not made any visible progress compared to its initial days of operation. Currently, the technical human resources are working just for a single shift though they worked roundthe-clock during the time of its establishment. Lack of skilled human resources at the facility has forced individuals to wait for a week to collect their report after the test.

Chief of the laboratory, Dr Neetu Adhikari, said there were just seven technical personnel and four of them were either injured or on sick leave.

She said technicians who were expected to take rest were also obliged to work. In the initial days of the lab, technical human resources from the District Hospital were assigned to the lab. Currently, four from Bharatpur Hospital, two from BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital and one from Chitwan Health Office are working in the laboratory.

Dr Adhikari said the existing human resources could work only one shift. She recalled that the lab had conducted around 574 swabs tests during the days of its establishment.

However, Chair of Bharatpur Hospital Development Committee Dr Bhojraj Adhikari said preparations were on to provide the results to those who had given swab samples for test in a single day.