It is discouraging to learn that we still do not have enough designated hospitals and labs to conduct COVID-19 tests. Reportedly, only the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) was conducting the tests at the initial stage, later the testing facilities were expanded to various government and private hospitals.
But it is of grave concern that the capacity of these hospitals to conduct the tests is still very low compared to the soaring number of test seekers.
We are told that for COVID-19 test most of the suspected patients are thronging Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), which has been struggling to give the expected service to the patients.
Reportedly, every day, around 1,000 people are going there for tests whereas the hospital has the capacity to do only around 250-270 tests a day.
Labs that are conducting
the tests have to prove their
efficiency to earn people's trust
It needs no emphasising that in Bangladesh the number of tests is very low compared to the number of infected people. People, suspected of being infected with coronavirus, are finding it hard to have their samples tested as they have to stand several hours in the long queues for giving their samples.
A tougher time is waiting for us unless we can expand our testing facilities immediately. Apart from testing at RT PCR laboratories, more importance should be given on rapid testing. Also skilled and well-trained technologists will have to be appointed for sample collection purposes.
Still our testing capacity is inadequate to portray the real picture. Hence we must take necessary steps to conduct adequate and accurate testing and for that our testing facilities need to be expanded. Other labs, apart from BSMMU and IEDCR, that are conducting the tests at present have to prove their efficiency to earn people's trust.
