LUCKNOW: Meerut District Magistrate Anil Dhingra has sought strict action against a private lab for wrongly indicating that six people from the city had tested positive for COVID-19. The DM recommended cancellation of the licence of the lab which is based in Gurugram but has sample collection centres in Meerut.
On May 21, eight samples were sent to this lab from Meerut and all were found positive for COVID-19. However, on testing the samples of the same persons at the microbiology department of Meerut Medical College on May 24, six out of the eight were found to be negative. Following this, those who tested negative were shifted to a different ward. Now they will be tested after a gap of five days again.
The private lab which allegedly gave the wrong reports has two centres at Baghpat Road in Meerut by the name of Modern Lab and Diagnostic Centre, while the main lab is situated in Gurugram. The cost of COVID-19 testing in this lab is around Rs 4,800.
A few days back, a similar case was reported when a woman had tested negative at the government lab while this lab had declared her COVID-19 positive.
According to the Meerut DM, the discrepancy in the lab reports for COVID-19 cases was being investigated and the guilty would not be spared. “Strict action will be taken against those responsible. A recommendation has been sent to the government for cancellation of the licence of this lab. A detailed report has been asked from the CMO as well,” said the DM while speaking to the media.