Karnataka wants negative certificate, but isn’t prepared to give one

BENGALURU: Covid-19 negative certificates are in huge demand, but there is no supportive protocol laid out for the same by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The Karnataka government in its standard operating procedure (SOP) mandates that business travellers on a short visit to the state will have to produce a Covid-19 negative certificate to be exempted from institutional quarantine.However, it has not issued any order to provide for testing of healthy individuals who don’t come under ICMR’s criteria.
Private labs in the state, in fact, are flooded with calls from companies seeking tests for their employees before allowing them to return to work. Following this, the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA) has raised the matter with the health and family welfare department, seeking clarity on whether those without Covid-19 symptoms and not falling under ICMR protocol can be tested for coronavirus.
“The Karnataka SOP is vague. Does it mean that hospitals can collect throat swabs for anybody without any symptom and ask for them to be tested, citing that a Covid-19 negative certificate is required for travel or as demanded by employers,” asked Dr R Ravindra, president, PHANA.
Curiously, the Karnataka SOP states that Covid-19 negative certificate has to be issued by an ICMR-approved lab.“As of now, there is no provision as per ICMR protocol to test those without symptoms, those who are not contacts of a positive patient, have no exposure to coronavirus and have no travel history,” said Dr Deepak Balani, chief of medical services, Sakra World Hospital. The Sakra lab is an ICMR-approved facility for Covid-19 testing.
“We keep getting calls for Covid-19 testing from many people, who don’t fit the ICMR protocol. There is a shortage of RT-PCR kits and also kits used for nucleic acid separation for polymerase chain reaction test. Many companies that want to reopen have consulted us on conducting tests for their employees. We have had to explain to them about the ICMR protocol,” said Dr Balani.
Asked why Karnataka isn’t issuing Covid-19 negative certificates, S Suresh Kumar, state’s Covid-19 spokesperson, said, “We should also be able to issue them. We will think in that direction.”
However, Jawaid Akhtar, additional chief secretary, health and family welfare department, said: “The government is spending over Rs 2,000 for every Covid test. Money shouldn’t be wasted on unnecessary tests. Also, we have capacity limitation. When we have eligible samples to be tested, why should we test ineligible samples? If anyone wants to get tested, s/he can get it done in private labs,” he told TOI.
Asked if the government will be issuing any circular allowing private labs to test anyone seeking it, Akhtar said no such circular will be issued. “However, we will examine the matter,” he added.