DC opens Lab set up by CSIR-CFTRI at Govt. Ayurveda Hi-tech Panchakarma Hospital on KRS Road

Mysore/Mysuru: The new CSIR-CFTRI COVID Testing Laboratory, which has been set up at the Government Ayurveda Hi-tech Panchakarma Hospital at Brindavan Extension on KRS Road was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abhiram G. Sankar this morning.

Speaking after inaugurating the Lab,  the fifth one in Mysuru District, the DC said that there was a need for a COVID Testing Lab locally and added that the new Lab would be helpful to test the samples and give the reports at the earliest as it would help in preventing the increasing COVID-related deaths in the district.

Meanwhile, Dr. Prakash M. Halami, Chief Scientist and Head of Microbiology and Fermentation Technology, who is also the Co-ordinator of CSIR-CFTRI COVID Testing Laboratory, speaking to Star of Mysore said that the Lab functions from 10 am to 3 pm and could test 100-200 samples per day.

Pointing out that only five technicians are working at present in this Lab which is set up at a cost of Rs. 1 crore, Dr. Prakash said that more technicians have been sought from the District Administration so that the Lab could function for more hours and test 500-600 samples per day.

Stating that the samples are sent from the District Administration through the District Health Officer’s Office, Dr. Prakash said that sample tests are RT PCR-based for accurate results and added that the RT PCR Machine could process 96 samples at once.

The COVID-19 RT-PCR test is a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for suspect COVID-19 infection. 

At present, Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) at the Department of Microbiology in Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (K.R. Hospital), “PARAKH- a Mobile Microbial Containment (BSL-3) Laboratory developed by Defence Food Research Laboratory also stationed at the K.R. Hospital premises, COVID Hospital and JSS Hospital tests samples.

MLA L. Nagendra, Dr. KSMS Raghavarao, CSIR-CFTRI Director, Dr. Shekar C. Mande, Director General-CSIR and Secretary, DSIR, Government of India, Dr. P.V. Ramalingaswami Fellow-CSIR-CFTRI, Dr. Mahantesh Hugar, Deputy Medical Superintendent of Government Ayurveda Hi-tech Panchakarma Hospital were present.