Chennai: The Directorate of Public Health has temporarily cancelled permission to Medall Laboratory to do RT-PCR tests for SAR CoV-2 after it was allegedly found that the lab had added positive results of samples from outside Tamilnadu into the State’s account.
Director of Public Health T S Selvavinayagam issued an order cancelling the permission granted to Medall Laboratory to test RT-PCR samples with immediate effect. A public health notice has been served on the laboratory under sections of the Tamilnadu Public Health Act, 1939.
According to DPH, on analysing the ICMR portal pertaining to entry of Covid-19 tested samples, a number of issues were identified in the laboratory — the results of RT-PCR samples for testing received from Kolkata were uploaded as samples from Kallakurichi, and around 4,000 samples that were found negative for Covid-19 were uploaded as positive on the ICMR portal on May 19 and 20. A lot of incomplete details were found in the line list of positive cases entered daily.
A showcause notice from the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine to Medall Healthcare asking the management to respond to the notice within three working days.
The notice also stated that the lab was functioning against the guidelines issued by the government and ICMR. ‘The lab functioned with vested interests and negligent attitude. The said act of the lab has created an unfavourable environment in the efforts against Covid-19 pandemic,’ it added.