Reza Mahmud :
Sample testing in Bangladesh has been stagnant at a stage of around 40 to 41 thousands of testing daily for long while public health experts are crying for elevating tests for containing the deadly virus.
Public health experts are crying for sharp increase of sample testing for quick detection of the infected people to keep them isolations fast to contain the transmission of the fatal virus.
Meanwhile, the lab officials are blaming their old RT- PCR machines and manpower shortages for slow testing.
Data released by the Directorate General of the Health Services (DGHS) showed on Friday that a total of 41,947 samples were tested in 627 laboratories across the country in the last 24 hours.
It said also that a total of 71,86,367 samples were tested so far in the country in
public and privately managed laboratories.
Sources said, many people are returning everyday from sample collecting booths failing to give samples in different hospitals and areas as the booths are collecting limited number of samples.
As per public health experts views, the number of daily testing are not sufficient, while the delta variant have attacked, and the transmission is elevating sharply.
They suggested increasing number of sample collecting booths and laboratories also.
They also suggested gearing up testing through rapid antigen machines.
When contacted, Professor Dr. Faruk Ahmed, Director of Sheikh Russel National Gastroliver Institute and Hospital told The New Nation on Friday, “We have only one RT-PCR machine to test samples. The machine is old. It was manufactured in 2008. We used to run it twice a day and test 94 samples every time.”
The director said if they run the machine one more time, it may shut down because it is very old.
He blamed also for the manpower shortages of the lab.
Contacted, Dr. Md. Khalilur Rahman, Director Shaid Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital told The New Nation on Friday, “We use a RT-PCR machine from the Micro biology depertment of the medical college for testing samples. It has limitation and capable of testing only 188 samples in a day.”
He said, they used to collect about 400 samples in its booth daily and send them to other labs for testing as they have less capability.
When contacted, Professor Dr. M. Muzaherul Huq, former Advisor of the World Health Organisation told The New Nation on Friday, “The laboratory capacity to be increased at all district levels with more modern and updated machines with better capacity.”
“Rapid Antigen test facilities are to be made available. All these are now very essential and important as the Corona is expanding and more deaths are happening everyday,” the Professor said.
When contacted, Dr. Robed Amin, spokes person of DGHS told The New Nation on Friday, “The tests are now increasing day by day. We have made plan to increase Rapid antigen tests as it can provide report within 15 minutes.”
He said it is not easy to establish and handle RT-PCR machine at upazila level because of insufficient facilities.
Dr. Amin acknowledged of shortages of manpower to handle RT-PCR machine.
The spokesman said that the ministry has bought several smart RT-PCR machines which can test 350 samples at a time.
But those machines yet to facilitate because of shortages of adequate facilities of establishing those.
