Testing machine lying idle at RMCH for 4yrs
While the lone laboratory in Rajshahi division is struggling to cope with the increasing number of samples, a real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine for detecting Covid-19 has been gathering dust at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) for around four years.
The hospital authorities argued that they could not operate the machine due to a lack of skilled manpower, space shortage and required infrastructure.
Yet they allegedly refused several requests of Rajshahi Medical College (RMC), which has the expertise and a coronavirus laboratory to test samples, to let them use the PCR machine during this crisis period, according to sources.
In the last week of March when coronavirus broke out in the country, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) installed a new PCR machine at the medical college as part of the government's programme to assure testing facilities at the grassroots.
The virology department of RMC began using the machine and testing samples from Covid-19 suspects from across eight districts of the division on April 1.
However, DGHS gave the Rajshahi hospital a PCR machine in 2017 for detecting diseases related to bacteria, virus and fungus, said a hospital official.
In May 2018, the RMCH authorities handed over the machine to its outdoor pathology department and set up a room for its installation.
Since then, the PCR machine has been lying unpacked at the department.
Asked, RMCH Deputy Director Saiful Ferdous said the hospital could not use the machine as they lacked expertise. The outdoor [pathology] also has space constraints, he said.
"Working with the machine is risky and requires special training," he said, adding that they thought it would have been unwise to use the machine at RMCH's pathology as the department deals with around 500 patients daily.
Talking to The Daily Star, Prof Dr Nasima Sultana, additional director general of DGHS, expressed astonishment as to how a hospital without virology or microbiology departments can have such a machine.
"Only trained virologists or microbiologists can handle it due to critical procedures and bio-hazard," she said, adding that she did not even know RMCH had one of such machine.
"I will have to check official documents," she said.
According to microbiologists at Rajshahi Medical College, at least 2,500 square feet of space, divided into four specially-designed rooms, is required for installing a PCR machine.
They said they exchanged several letters with the RMCH authorities in 2018 as they wanted to use the machine for students' research activities and testing diseases.
"They [hospital authorities] were totally apathetic [about letting us use the machine] and replied to all our letters in the negative," said a microbiologist at RMC.
Prof Sabera Gulnahar, head of the virology department at RMC, acknowledged the information.
"The hospital authorities last week sent a letter, asking us to use their machine when we have engaged all our manpower in using the new one," she said.
RMCH Deputy Director Saiful Ferdous said he was unaware why RMC's request to use the machine was denied for such a long time.
Despite repeated attempts, the RMCH director did not answer this correspondent's phone calls and text messages.
Meanwhile, the medical college installed the PCR machine at its coronavirus laboratory. Prof Gulnahar, in-charge of the laboratory, said the number of samples was low initially, which started to increase recently.
They ran at least 481 tests till April 12 with more than 150 samples pending. The laboratory has 40 staff members including 18 microbiologists and biochemists and 12 technicians.
Although the PCR machine is capable of doing 96 tests in every six hours, they are unable to run it more than once a day for lack of manpower, she said.
"Those who perform the tests, wearing personal protective equipment for six hours at a stretch, become exhausted from working extra hours. Working here requires specific attention to details all the time," said the professor.
"There is a chance that the pressure may increase in the coming days," she said, adding that the machine at RMCH would have helped a lot had it been set up beforehand.
Asked, the RMCH deputy director said they are trying to run the machine with the help of experts from DGHS soon. "We've identified a spot for installing the machine at the hospital's high dependency unit," he said.
There are around 28 PCR machines (18 in Dhaka and 10 in different parts of the country) dedicated for testing Covid-19, according to DGHS.
In addition to that, the government will set up a coronavirus testing laboratory at Bogura in Rajshahi division soon, which will help ease the pressure on the lab at RMC.
Mentionable, rights activists have been requesting the authorities concerned to set up coronavirus testing laboratories at each district.
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