BMOs, CMOs asked to increase testing
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, June 24: As the COVID-19 cases are going down with every passing day suggesting an end of the second wave of the COVID pandemic, there has also been a decline in the testing lately, prompting the authorities in Kashmir to take a serious note of the deviation from the central guidelines.
The testing carried out by the districts across Kashmir for the last over a month has been reporting a steep decrease while the COVID cases are also witnessing a continuous dip; however, the centre has maintained that the testing should remain up.
The analysis of the day-to-day testing data by the concerned department in Kashmir districts has been flagged as ‘way less’ by the higher authorities in comparison to what has been directed by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare with regard to the number of daily RT-PCR tests.
Keeping that in view, the concerned health officials in the districts have been directed to keep up with the number of daily RT-PCR tests as per the guidelines and at the same time increase the testing in accordance with the directives.
They have been told that even though a less number of COVID-19 positives are coming to the fore across Kashmir as the second wave subsides, the number of RT-PCR tests should be in accordance with the directives of MoHF and that any deviation in this regard is going to be unacceptable.
An official told Excelsior that as the less number of cases are reported every day from each district, which automatically results in a decrease in the contact tracing which then results in the less number of RT-PCR tests per day.
However, he said that the concerned officials in the districts have been directed to carry out the RT-PCR testing as per the central guidelines even if the daily number of COVID-19 positive cases is miniscule.
In this regard, the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir (DHSK) has also issued a circular directing the Chief Medical Officers, Medical Superintendents and other officials to comply with the central directives with regard to testing.
The DHSK said that while analysing the daily reports of Covid-19 work done of Kashmir Division, “it has been observed that all the Districts are performing less number of RT-PCR tests than what has been stipulated by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India in the guidelines issued from time to time, which has been viewed seriously by the higher authorities,” the circular reads.
As such, the circular added, it is impressed upon all Chief Medical Officers, Medical Superintendents & Block Medical Officers of Kashmir Division to increase the number of RT-PCR tests for Covid-19 in their respective districts.
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