Clinic that decided to privately screen COVID-19 patients received warning: in danger of being fined

Here, a private clinic in the capital has started recording COVID-19 antigen tests since last week. Your results are known in 20 minutes instead of 6 hours as in routine tests.

“A health professional takes a smear from the nasopharynx, then the smear material is placed in a certain ‘buffer’ and after a few minutes a few drops are applied to a special test, in a few minutes we get an answer,” said the UAB Affidea Lietuva to LNK Žinioms. “Representative Artūras Seibutis.

However, the clinic received a warning from the Accreditation Office for Healthcare Activities: If you perform antigen testing, you will be fined. According to the service, the clinic does not have the necessary license for laboratory diagnostics.

Nora Ribokienė, director of the State Accreditation Service for Healthcare Activities, explained that “you need a laboratory or other things to do an investigation. But in this case, the ministry has not yet established an algorithm on who, where and when to provide, whether an adjustment or the issuance of new licenses will be required. “

The clinic explains that the antigen test is done normally, so they don’t need a lab.

“There may be some misunderstanding here, or perhaps too slow decision-making, and we really hope this can be corrected in the near future, because basically only the order of the operations manager is needed here today,” A. Seibutis did not hesitate.

Acting Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga, head of state-level emergency operations, cannot yet say when the procedure for rapid testing will be prepared.

“Procedures are being developed, there is definitely consultation, consultation with specialists who work directly in that work,” said Acting Minister of Health A. Veryga.

The head of the Accreditation Service says it is necessary to develop procedures on when and how a rapid antigen test can be performed; otherwise it will do more harm than good.

“The rapid antigen test is not one that a family doctor can use at this time. The rapid antigen test only shows when there is a high concentration of the virus, that is, from 1 to 5 days of illness, up to the 7th day.

In other words, if a sick person arrives after a week, the test may be negative due to the decrease in viral load in the upper respiratory tract. But that does not mean that he is not sick, “explained N. Ribokienė.

Infectious physician Arvydas Ambrozaitis believes that the requirement to perform this test in a laboratory is excessive.

“It can also be done on an outpatient basis, as it is a test similar to a pregnancy test. The requirements established by the Accreditation Service are definitely not necessary, ”explained A. Ambrozaitis.

A routine test would cost € 70-90, and antigens would cost around € 26.