India ropes in 12 private lab chains to test Coronavirus

Twelve private lab chains have been roped in for conducting tests for novel coronavirus disease, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference, Dr Balram Bhargava, Director of the apex medical research body ICMR said, "12 laboratory chains have been registered and have started functioning. These 12 labs have at least 15,000 collection centres across the country."

Bhargava also said that two companies have started working on manufacturing test kits to conduct the test on a fast track basis. Lal Path Labs, Block -E, Sector 18, Rohini, Delhi has been accredited for conducting the novel coronavirus test in Delhi.

In Gujarat, Unipath Specialty laboratory limited has been given the nod by the ICMR. There are two labs in Haryana - Strand Life Sciences and SRL Limited, both in Gurugram.

Most number of private lab chains has been accredited in Maharashtra - at least five. These are Thyrocare Technologies Limited in Navi Mumbai, Suburban Diagnostics (India) Pvt Ltd in Andheri West, Metropolis Healthcare Ltd in Kohinoor mall, Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre and Molecular Medicine, Reliance Life Sciences Pvt Ltd in Navi Mumbai, and SRL Limited in Goregaon.

In Tamil Nadu, two private labs have been roped in. These are Department of Clinical Virology, CMC, Vellore and Department of Laboratory Services, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd, Chennai. As per the health ministry guidelines, the price for COVID-19 test ranges from Rs 1,500 to Rs 4,500, and not complying to the price range could invite legal action.