In a significant move, the BMC has revised its testing guidelines and will now allow COVID-19 tests without a doctor's prescription. The civic body's move comes after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) instructed it to increase testing.BMC conducts an average of 4,000 to 4,500 tests daily. Earlier, a doctor's prescription was mandatory for taking the COVID-19 test.
According to a circular issued by the BMC on Tuesday evening, anyone can get oneself tested for coronavirus infection at designated private laboratories in Mumbai without a doctor's prescription.
BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal took the decision to allow testing without a medical prescription in view of an increase in the number of private laboratories, the circular stated. It will help people get treatment for coronavirus quicker, it added.
Elaborating on the decision, Chahal told The Free Press Journal: "This is the most liberal COVID testing policy to be implemented anywhere in India. The policy will be implemented in Mumbai with immediate effect."
He added," If the test comes out to be positive, a (hospital) bed will be allotted to the person through ward-level 'War Rooms' of the municipal corporation only. We have maintained this and we will continue to do so."
Besides this, all high-risk contacts in institutional quarantine facilities are henceforth to be tested before discharge. Till now, those in institutional quarantine were discharged after 10 days if they did not show any symptoms during the last three days. Testing criteria for high-risk contacts in-home quarantine have also been eased and they can now get tested through self-declaration. These steps are being taken to ramp up testing in Mumbai.
"Those kept in institutional quarantine will be discharged only when they test negative for the virus. The decision was taken by the BMC commissioner on Tuesday," said a senior BMC official.
Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Aaditya Thackeray took to Twitter to confirm the development. He tweeted: "BMC has decided to open up testing to any individual in the city without prescription/self-attestation. Labs can now conduct RT PCR tests as per ICMR guidelines at anyone's request. This will help citizens feel safer and get tested when they have a doubt, without any delay."
The BMC's move to allow tests without a doctor's prescription will make it easier for people in Mumbai, who have misgivings about their health, to get tested without wasting any time.
The civic body has directed Assistant Commissioners of all wards to increase testing by setting up camps and using mobile vans (with the help of assigned labs) in high incidence areas to collect samples.
"Assistant Commissioners have been directed to take help of private labs assigned to their wards for conducting at least 250 Rapid Antigen Tests per day. Rapid Antigen Tests kits will be provided by the BMC and labs will conduct the tests," said a senior BMC official.
A senior BMC official said that the decision will come into effect from Wednesday morning and will be applicable to all those under the BMC jurisdiction.
The BMC has procured one lakh test kits of Rapid Point-of-care
(PoC) Antigen Detection Test (for diagnosis along with RT-PCR)
and has distributed the same to the BMC-run medical colleges and attached hospitals. Deans of these colleges have been instructed to
ensure Rapid antigen tests of patients be carried out as per ICMR
guidelines within the hospital settings; this, in turn, will ensure that there is no compromise on optimal utilisation of RT-PCR tests in their labs.
\
