In order to reduce the out-of-pocket expenditure incurred by people for diagnostic services, the Telangana government has planned to expand the Telangana Diagnostic services to 134 tests from the already existing 57 tests being provided to the people for free.
The services will be available in 20 districts of the State including Hyderabad and are expected to start at the respective centres within a month. Remaining 13 districts are expected to get these services very soon.
About 80 percent of the State’s population requires these 57 tests which are being provided; the remaining 20 percent requires complex tests and procedures which are usually not available at public health facilities. These are specialised and also expensive tests which start from ₹200 and go up to ₹10,000 at private diagnostic centres. The tests will also have a little higher Turnaround Time (TAT), while the results for majority of the tests are given within 24 hours, some take about 48 to 72 hours as well.
Out of the 134, few of the tests which will be available for the public are screening for Sickle Cell and Thalassemia, Bacterial and Fungal Culture test, Infertility package tests, identification of Chronic Anaemia, Hormonal testing, Cancer marker test and CD4 count test (for HIV screening). Testing for a few rare cases like Kala Azar, Leptospirosis, blood disorders and Cerebrospinal Fluid analysis will also be available to the public.
A State Program Officer speaking to The Hindu said that all the necessary equipment needed for performing the tests have already been procured and installed at the central lab in Institute of Preventive Medicine. Earlier, the lab had an area of 2,000 square feet, now it has been expanded to 5,000 square feet to accommodate the equipment.
For one to avail these tests, a specialised doctor has to examine the patient and then refer to T-Diagnostics available at district hospitals. The government has added three lab technicians in each district to meet the demand of the increasing number of tests. The government will be taking up training programmes this week for the lab technicians in the 20 districts to make them aware about the new tests and equipment.
The department is expecting about 50 to 100 sample loads for each test per day.
