Bengaluru: Fines Imposed on Labs for COVID-19 Test Delays

Cracking a whip on 40 private and government labs in Karnataka, the state authorities have imposed a fine of Rs 20 lakh for failing to upload COVID-19 test results on the portal in time.

Confirmation to the effect was given by Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan on May 24. The COVID test results of almost 10,000 people were delayed, despite the rule of uploading the results within 24 hours.

PTI reports that among the 40 labs which came under the radar of authorities, nine are state-run labs while 31 are private labs. According to the official statement, COVID test reports of over 10,000 people were put on hold for more than 24 hours due to the delay of the labs.

Shalini Rajneesh, the nodal officer in charge of COVID-19 testing shared the information with the Deputy Chief Minister, the statement added. Since May 8, these 40 labs had delayed uploading reports of 10,103 people for more than 24 hours.

Of these, 3,034 cases were those of government labs and the rest were from private labs. According to the release, the labs were fined Rs 200 for each case. An additional five labs were penalized for sharing positive reports before informing the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Stating that the labs are not understanding the gravity of the situation, the Deputy CM said that they (the labs) are violating the government's orders to give reports within 24 hours.

Also Read: UP doctor slapped fine for not wearing mask while treatment

A total fine of Rs 20,20,600 has been imposed on the labs altogether. The labs which had the most number of delayed cases included:

• MedGenome with 1,100 cases
• Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology with 862 cases
• Eurofins Clinical Genetics India with 659 cases
• Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory of Dr Ambedkar Medical College with 156 cases
• Lifecell International with 144 cases

Reports Deccan Herald.

The Minister also said in the release that they will invite tenders to procure three lakh vials of Amphotericin B to facilitate the treatment of Mucormycosis or black fungus. The decision was taken in a meeting held by the state COVID-19 task force head with Anjum Parvez, nodal officer-in-charge of drug supplies for COVID-19 management. During the meeting, Narayan directed officials to accelerate the pace of testing in the 9 worst COVID-affected districts.

"Door-to-door testing should be done for those with symptoms," he said. "For every positive patient found, four primary contacts should be tested," he added.

In another development, Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai has warned of stringent legal recourse against those who are involved in black-marketing and misuse of critical drugs used in treating COVID-19.