Testing has a vital role in containing coronavirus, says Dr Lal

With the country battling COVID-19, a growing thrust is being laid on testing and private labs are also supplementing efforts of the government.

Dr Arvind Lal, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), Dr Lal Path Labs said that testing is being getting ramped up and private labs were contributing to the process.

"We are doing about 30 per cent of the entire testing and this becomes a very valid kind of cooperation between the private labs and the government and government labs" he said.

He said testing is "one of our backbones of trying to contain this pandemic".

Referring to Rs 4500 being charged by private labs for testing, he said it may appear to be very high price "but in 2009 during swine flu with hardly any labs in India, the price of H1N1 test was also approved by the government at Rs 4500".

"Now after 11 years, the methodology remains the same and cost of everything has gone up and inflation rate is up at least by five per cent every year, we are still charging Rs 4500," he said.

Dr Lal said that charges have been approved by ICMR.

The Supreme Court has said that testing will be free for persons covered under Ayushman Bharat scheme.

( With inputs from ANI )