The Centre government has
permitted eight private laboratories to carry out coronavirus testing in Maharashtra, Medical Education Minister Amit Deshmukh said.
The Maharashtra government had requested the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to permit private laboratories to carry out COVID-19 tests to lighten the load of state-run labs.
"The ICMR has given permission to 27 labs across the country, of which eight are in Maharashtra," Deshmukh said in an official statement.
The eight private labs are located in Mumbai, Thane and Pune cities.
If these labs function to their full capacity, they can test at least 2,000 swab samples on a daily basis, he added.
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Meanwhile, a new coronavirus testing facility is being set up at Government Medical College and Hospital in Aurangabad and it is likely to begin operations on March 30.
"At present, swab samples from Aurangabad are being sent to Pune's National Institute of Virology for testing and the process has become time consuming due to the lockdown," superintendent of Government Medical College and Hospital Dr Suresh Harbade told PTI.
Once the facility becomes functional, the process will become easier and swab samples can be cleared within 24 hours, he said.
If the facility functions to its full capacity, it can clear at least 100 samples in a day, he added.
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