Bhubaneswar: Inching a step further towards achieving a target of testing 15,000 samples per day, the state government has decided to set up testing facilities at Bolangir, Koraput and Baripada by the end of this month.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das informed media persons in this regard after attending the meeting of Empowered Group of Ministers held through videoconferencing.
Das said the laboratories will be set up at the medical college and hospitals located at Bolangir, Koraput and Baripada and will start functioning by the end of this month.
Testing at Bolangir will start May 16 while the facility at Koraput and Baripada will begin May 23 and 31 respectively.
Immediate procurement of all necessary equipment, including RT-PCR test kits and COBAS through Odisha State Medical Corporation Limited (OSMCL) was also proposed at the meeting, he said.
Similarly, the government has decided to allow private labs for Covid-19 testing across the state. The ICMR has already given approval for it, the minister said.
Besides, Das said a standard operating procedure (SOP) will be issued for better maintenance and cleanliness at hospitals and quarantine centres. In view of the rise in patients in the state, bed capacity will be increased at Covid centres and hospitals.
“While we had earlier targeted to keep 6,000 beds ready in the state, additional 4,000 will be added to the fleet in coming days,” he added.
