The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) has been notified by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Medical Council of India (MCI) as the mentor institution for RT-PCR (Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test.



The Bengaluru-based NIMHANS will play a Central role in terms of providing reference terms, detailed guidance on the requirement of infrastructure for RT-PCR laboratory and suggested a list of good quality consumables to all labs.



The move follows after the Union government mandated an increase in the testing capacity for COVID-19 across all private medical colleges in the country. It was here that the Karnataka department of health and family welfare initiated immediate action to set up RT-PCR labs across all autonomous medical colleges coming under its umbrella. In order to widen the reach of testing, the department also included the two ESIC medical colleges functioning at Bengaluru and Kalaburagi in north Karnataka district.



Dr V Ravi. Professor and Head, public health virology, Japanese encephalitis, NIMHANS will be the nodal person chipping in his expertise to support the private medical colleges across 30 districts in the state.



NIMHANS will coordinate and handhold all medical colleges. By May end, we are expected to see all the private medical colleges up and running and conducting tests. The move is also to safeguard public in case of increasing spread of the coronavirus, said Karnataka minister for education Suresh Kumar who is now in-charge of COVID-19 media interactions.



The state has escalated its response to battle the pandemic by establishing fever clinics, Covid care centres, Dedicated Covid Health Care Centres (DCHC), Dedicated Covid Hospitals (DCH) for management of the virus spread. Laboratory testing which is an integral part of strategy has been enhanced from barely 700 tests a day to 4,000 tests per day. Further, it is proposed by the Union government that the testing should be increased to 10,000 a day. Here the ICMR guidelines stated that COVID-19 samples should be analysed in bio-safety level 2 facilities only.



“We have now facilities at the Karnataka University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru; Department of Microbiology, University of Agricultural Sciences at Dharwad; Veterinary College, Hebbal, Bengaluru; Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubballi; Karnataka Institute of DNA Research Dharwad; Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, Hassan; and Institute of Biotechnology, Dharwad. The state has also mandated the use of Specimen Reference Form which can be submitted only using the RTPCR app,” said Jawaid Akhtar, principal secretary, Karnataka health and family welfare.