North Kashmir has no collection Centre for COVID-19 samples nor testing lab
Srinagar, Mar 28 (KNO): With daily surge in number of positive cases in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the authorities have not been able to increase the number of testing labs from existing two and collection centres for lakhs of people living in north and southern Kashmir.
According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), an official said that Kashmir valley has only two functional testing labs for COVID-19 with two sample collection centres in south and not s single in north Kashmir.
Official sources said that even after growing cases of deadly novel Corona-virus in Kashmir with number mounting to 45 in Jammu and Kashmir, authorities here haven not set up any new testing labs so far making suspects to travel several kilometers for tests and sample collections.
Sources said that two functional testing labs for COVID-19 are made functional in Kashmir are, one at Government Medical College (GMC) and Sher Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) Srinagar only.
Sources further said that hundreds across the valley are under quarantine and the figures are mounting amid the increase in positive cases within the valley from both south and north Kashmir with more positive cases emerging from north Kashmir belt of Kashmir.
Despite authorities being aware about how fatal this virus can be, they have not made a single testing lab functional in north or south Kashmir since when both the belts have full-fledged medical colleges functional in Anantnag and Baramulla, official sources said.
Government medical college (GMC) Anantnag, Dr Showkat Geelani said, “We don’t have a testing lab functional here for Coronavirus but we collect the samples and send them for testing to Srinagar and so far we have sent almost a dozen samples”.
Nodal officer Kashmir diversion for COVID-19 Dr. SM Qadri on being contacted told—KNO that only two testing labs are functional in Kashmir one at Government Medical College (GMC) and Sher Kashmir Institute Of Medical Science (SKIMS) Srinagar.
He said that no testing lab has yet been made functional anywhere in Kashmir expect the two functioning in Srinagar but we have collection centres operational in Pulwama and Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Hospital (JLNM) Srinagar only samples are to be collected and tested in functional labs.
He furthermore said that there is no collection centre or testing lab made functional in north Kashmir. The people belonging to northern belt of Kashmir are gripped with fear after Bandipora witnessed couple of positive cases and two deaths of positive patient, an elderly on Thursday from Sopore and ther other elderly from Tangmarg with numbers in quarantine and several tested positive from Bandipora—(KNO)