Just 9 varsities started RT-PCR testing: Govt

Just 9 varsities started RT-PCR testing: Govt

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:11.05.2021 

After a push from Gujarat high court, the state government on Monday submitted that it could make only nine of 26 universities in the state start RT-PCR testing laboratories and has given up hope that five universities will ever start the facility.

When HC pressured the government to increase Covid-19 testing facilities, particularly RT-PCR testing, the state government said it would make 26 universities start these testing facilities. However, after nearly a month and instructions to administrative heads of the region to use the Epidemic Diseases Act to force these universities to act, facilities at only nine universities could be made operational, an addition of only four varsities since last week. These four are National Forensic Science University, Gandhinagar; Sardar Patel University, Anand; Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, Surat and IIPH Gandhinagar.

For Anand Agriculture University, Uka Tarsadia University in Bardoli, Ahmedbad University, Kamdhenu University in Gandhinagar and Central University of Gujarat, the government said they “do not have appropriate RT-PCR machines for testing and thus, RT-PCR testing would not be possible in the five varsities.”