Union Interior Minister Amit Shah on Monday inaugurated the first of a series of mobile laboratories at the headquarters of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) in New Delhi that will conduct the Polymerase Chain Reaction test with Transcription. The cheapest reverse (RT-PCR) in the country. , to detect coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
The RT-PCR test, which in some states costs up to $ 2,400, will be done for $ 499, making this confirmatory Covid-19 test affordable for people in general. And the test report will also be generated in a record 6 hours after sample collection, compared to 24-48 hours it currently takes in most locations.
SpiceHealth, an initiative of the promoters of SpiceJet, and led by Avani Singh, CEO of SpiceHealth, will establish a series of portable test facilities across the country to make highly sensitive RT-PCR tests easily accessible.
In the first phase, 20 of these laboratories are likely to be established, and each laboratory is capable of processing 1000 tests in one day.
“The first phase is largely destined for Delhi and as these labs are mobile, they will be installed in different locations to be identified based on the testing requirements of the national capital,” said Dr Rajnikant Srivastava, spokesperson for ICMR.
“This is an effort to ensure that Covid-19 testing is not only accessible but also affordable to the masses. ICMR has already relaxed the criteria for testing for Covid-19, and it is practically available upon request to minimize the number of people infected, ”he added.
As part of the Make-in-India initiative, SpiceHealth and GeneStore, a genomics company, will jointly establish these testing facilities across the country.
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Test kits and laboratory facilities have been certified by ICMR, and mobile laboratories have been duly accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
“Today is a momentous day for all of us at SpiceHealth as we take this crucial step to ensure affordable Covid-19 testing for as many Indians as possible. Despite being the second most affected country in the world by Covid-19, with more than 9 million cases reported so far, India has encountered a challenge to expand RT-PCR testing for the virus. We are proud to be able to contribute to our country’s efforts to combat this global pandemic, ”said Avani Singh.
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“The RT-PCR test, known for its diagnostic accuracy, is the most widely used Covid test in the world. By offering this test at a fraction of the current price, ensuring a much faster turnaround time of just six hours, and deploying mobile labs that can be easily transported to the most remote areas, we hope to significantly expand testing across the country, “he added ..
SpiceHealth has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ICMR to establish testing labs and collection centers across the country.
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