PUNJAB CM SEEKS PM’S DIRECTIVE FOR ENHANCING TESTING CAPACITIES 

Chandigarh: To overcome the overstretched and limited testing capacities in the state, particularly amid the movement of migrants back home, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has sought immediate enhancement of the viral testing capacity at each of the six premier research institutions located in the state and Chandigarh to 2000 tests a day.
 
These institutions are: PGIMER Chandigarh (MoHFW), IMTECH-CSIR Chandigarh (DST), Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Mohali (MoHRD), National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, Mohali (DoPh), National Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, Mohali (DoBT) and Central University, Bathinda (MoHRD).
 
The Chief Minister on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to issue urgent directives to these institutions to scale up their testing capacity to assist the State Government in its public health response to Covid-19. The state government, he said, was making all possible efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in keeping with the guidelines issued by the Government of India from time to time.
 
In his letter, Captain Amarinder  said the State Government had already requested these institutions of Government of India located in Punjab and Chandigarh to provide viral testing capacity of 2000 tests daily. 
 
Notably, the state has till date conducted a cumulative of 24,908 tests for COVID, of which about 1000 were found positive. Of these tests, 20,729 have been conducted in Government Medical Colleges (Patiala, Amritsar, Faridkot) which have a daily testing capacity of about 1050, while the remaining tests have been conducted by private labs as well as central government labs. The Punjab state labs are already overstretched with three shifts a day, thus limiting the number of tests.