Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurates new COVID testing lab at MMCH, Guwahati

Guwahati: A new testing laboratory at the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Institute (MMCH) inaugurated by Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has come as a huge blessing at a time when Guwahati city is witnessing a massive surge in the number of COVID-19 positive cases.

"We have been continuously scaling up our testing abilities & improving our medical infra to ensure the best management of pandemic. Inaugurated the new testing lab at MMCH. Pleased to share that it is the 13th COVID19 testing lab in Assam and 6 more labs shall come soon", Sarma wrote in a tweet, soon after inaugurating the much-awaited laboratory.

It needs mention here that Assam has so far conducted as many as 4,12,214 tests (out of which 1,06,634 tests have been outsourced). The hilltop lab of the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has conducted the most number of tests (53,100) and is closely followed by the FAA Medical College and Hospital in Barpeta, which has conducted 47,581 tests so far.

Amid the rising number of cases (and deaths), the state's health department has placed an increasing emphasis on conducting more tests so as to be able to isolate the infected patients and administer treatment. At the same time, in Guwahati, the city with the highest number of infections, the Government has set up 31 COVID counselling centres, where swab samples will be collected.

Then again, there is the issue of getting people to go visit these centres to give their swab samples. Health Minister Sarma has time and again reiterated the need for people to go for tests to rule out the possibility of a COVID infection. "We've set up facilities for swab collections in 31 COVID Care Centres & 12 hospitals across Guwahati City. I appeal you to come forward to volunteer to give your swabs, should you notice any symptoms that may require ruling out #COVID. Let's make COVID Free Assam", he appealed via a tweet.

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