Three private hospitals allowed to test COVID-19

The Directorate General of Health Services on Wednesday allowed three private hospitals — Evercare Hospital, formerly known as Apollo Hospitals, Square Hospitals and United Hospital — to run COVID-19 tests.

Health services additional director general Nasima Sultana made the disclosure in her daily online bulletin.

Although she said that the private hospitals would conduct the test for government-fixed charge, she did not disclose the amount.

DGHS COVID-19 Integrated Control Room in the afternoon issued a release stating that the private hospitals could collect samples for COVID-19 tests from inpatient department only at the cost of Tk 3,500 (including the cost of kit).

Bangladesh has so far tested 59,701 people for COVID-19 since January 21.

The government kept the testing facilities at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research only until the last week of March.

Despite the World Health Organization recommendation of widespread test to detect and isolate COVID-19 patients, the government continued testing low number of people while the infections spread to across the country unknowingly, health experts alleged time and again.

Now 23 labs, mostly in the capital, are testing COVID-19 samples.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net