A private medical diagnostics centre in Woraiyur was barred from conducting tests for COVID 19 by the district administration citing violations under Tamil Nadu Public Health Act on Monday even as the Tiruchi City Corporation authorities sealed the premises for building plan violations.
The Doctors’ Diagnostics Centre was the first private laboratory in Tiruchi to receive approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research for conducting the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, used to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19.
The district administration, however, said discrepancies had been detected in the results uploaded to the ICMR website and what was communicated to a patient.
“This caused confusion while referring the patient, as per the ICMR/RT-PCR website list, to follow-up treatment,” Collector S. Sivarasu said in a press release issued later in the day.
“The test results were not given to 29 patients in time deliberately and with an ulterior motive. In some cases, the delay was up to 20 days,” the Collector said.
Such actions had triggered apprehensions among the people. Hence the centre has been barred from conducting COVID 19 related tests under Sections 14,59,62,72, and 83 of the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act 1939. Besides, a penalty of ₹5 lakh has been imposed on the centre for “causing the spread of the disease and apprehension.” The penalty should be paid to the Corporation, failing which the civic body would initiate appropriate action, the release added.
Meanwhile, the civic body sealed the premises citing deviations from building plan approval and violations of the provisions of Town and Country Planning Act.
“The waste generated was not being managed and disposed of properly. We sent several notices but there was no response,” said S. Sivasubramanian, City Corporation Commissioner.
However, P.K. Rath, Managing Director, DDC, alleged that the reasons for sealing the premises were not clear. The ICMR website was either too slow or was not functioning and so the uploads were delayed, he claimed.
Complaints were also raised after some patients’ COVID-19 test taken at DDC returned positive, and when the government lab took it, the result was negative.
“We have been doing RT-PCR tests since 2004 and are not new to it. Sometimes, the test comes negative if the swab is not lifted from the nasal passage carefully. We were blamed for what it is not our mistake at all,” he claimed.
