Covid-19 crisis: Factories directed to private labs as workload piles up

…erroneous tests cause confusion

By Shamindra Ferdinando

For want of sufficient facilities at the state sector laboratories, the government has requested private sector factories, coming under the purview of the Board of Investment (BOI) to subject workers to PCR testing at private labs.

Dr. S. Sridharan, who is acting for Director General of Health Services (DGHS), in a letter dated Oct. 10, has informed BoI Chairman Susantha Ratnayake of policy decision taken by the Health Ministry to those working at what he called export oriented manufacturing industries.

Dr. Sridharan received the crucial appointment in the wake of Dr. Anil Jasinghe being appointed Secretary to the Environment Ministry.

According to the Health Ministry, Dr. Sridharan has been directed to alert the BoI Chief about a week after ‘Brandix eruption’ caused several hundred infections. The Health Ministry yesterday (14) placed the ‘Brandix cluster’ at 1590.

The government has declared an indefinite curfew in Munuwangoda and Divulapitiya and Veyangoda on Oct 4, two days after a 39-year-old employee of Brandix apparel manufacturing plant at Munuwangoda was tested positive for coronavirus at the Gampaha Hospital. Later, the government extended the curfew to several other police areas in the Gampaha administrative district.

The Health Ministry has directed BoI factories to use laboratories at Nawaloka, Durdens, Asiri and Lanka Hospitals as government laboratories found it difficult to cope up with the increasing workload.

Dr. Sridharan’s missive advised BoI top management that covid-19 monitoring guidelines had been revised consequent to the ‘Brandix eruption.’

Well informed sources pointed out that ongoing inquiries had taken an unexpected turn with the revelation that several workers had been infected before the Gampaha hospital made the chance detection.

Head of National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva told The Island that contrary to previous reports the 39-year-old employee hadn’t been the first victim.

The Health Ministry involved private hospitals in the RT PCR testing process during the first corona wave. Sources said that private hospitals charged Rs 6,500 to Rs 8,800 for a RT PCR test, in addition to transport costs depending on the location. The Health Ministry wants all BoI enterprises to carry out testing in consultation with respective MOH (Medical Officer of Health) on a regular basis to ensure safety and security of the workers and the entire population.

Meanwhile, shortcomings in the RT PCR testing process undertaken by the private sector has been brought to the notice of the Health Ministry. CEAT Kelani Holdings yesterday (14) said that the company’s administrative office had to be closed down after the management was told that two of its employees were corona-virus positive. Subsequently, the company had been told that both reports were wrong therefore action was taken to re-open the administrative offices today (15).

Health Ministry sources said that both state and private sector laboratories had to follow strict guidelines in the ongoing large scale RT-PCR testing process to ensure the credibility of the process. Sources said that recently a member of a foreign airline crew tested positive had been subsequently cleared following a second test conducted at the Hambantota hospital.

The Sri Lanka Association of Government Medical Laboratory Technologists shortly before ‘Brandix eruption’  raised the failure on the part of the Health Ministry to use available GeneXpert machines to enhance the public sector capacity. In a letter dated Oct 2, President of the Association Ravi Kumudesh, complained to Health Secretary Maj. Gen. H.S. Munasinghe over what he called an inimical agenda pursued by the DGHS.

Kumudesh alleged that instead of enhancing their capacity by promptly utilizing available GeneXpert machines, the Health Ministry pushed for accommodating the private sector in the process. The association emphasized the pivotal importance in maintaining the credibility of the entire process by ensuring the quality of their work.

The Association said that the post of DGHS shouldn’t be vacant even for a day. The Association criticized the failure on the part of the Health Ministry to make a permanent appointment several weeks after Dr. Jasinghe moved out to the Environment Ministry and the unceremonious removal of Dr. Jayaruwan Bandara, head of the MRI (Medical Research Institute)