Equipment for setting up a corona virus testing lab at Satkhira Medical College Hospital has been left idle for more than two months.
Corona virus has been spreading across the country since last March. Since then, Satkhira Medical has been demanding the establishment of a PCR lab for corona testing.
On this basis, local politicians, people's representatives and top officials of the administration took initiative and the Health Department directed to set up a PCR lab at Satkhira Medical College Hospital and sent required equipment on September, 14.
However, Satkhira Medical College Hospital officials were unable to set up the PCR lab although two months have past. Doubts have been raised about whether this PCR lab will be launched at all in this winter.
Additional Director General of the Department of Health Professor Mirza Sabrina Flora visited Satkhira Medical College Hospital on September 14. She expressed grief that the PCR lab has not been set up in Satkhira yet and commented that if Satkhira district cannot set up the PCR lab, it is better to allocate it in other districts.
The matter came to light when Professor Mirza Sabrina Flora's conversation revealed various sources of Satkhira Medical College Hospital.
Satkhira Medical College Superintendent Md. Rafiqul Islam told reporters that Satkhira Medical College Hospital was declared Corona Dedicated Hospital at the beginning of Corona pandemic. 1,200 corona patients have been treated here. Of these, 18 were Corona positive and more than 100 were suspected corona patients. At present there are no patients infected with coronavirus there, he said.
Meanwhile, Principal of Satkhira Medical College Kazi Habibur Rahman told reporters that the second wave of corona may come in the winter. With that in mind, PCR labs were allotted to 14 medical colleges across the country with World Bank funding. We have collected the equipment from IEDCR and 4 rooms of Satkhira Medical College have also been allotted for the lab. Satkhira Department of Health Engineering has already started work to set it up. "Once the health engineering department completes its work, we will be able to start testing," he said.
Satkhira Department of Health Engineering Assistant Engineer Yusuf Ali said it was estimated that a PCR lab would be set up. It has been sent to the office of the executive engineer in the division. From there it has been sent to the ministry from the head office of the health engineer's office to the office of the supervising engineer.
Now it will be approved by the ministry. Then after some more process including evaluation, tender process will be started. He said it would take a month to start the tender process. People from different walks of life reacted and said that, it is very unfortunate for 2.3 million people in Satkhira.
As the lab has not been set up for so many days, it has become a cause of concern for the people of Satkhira. It is doubtful whether the authorities will be able to set it up in this winter.
Concerned people have sought the intervention of District Corona Prevention Committee and Public Administration Acting Secretary Seikh Yusuf Harun in this regard.
