Nudged by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mizoram government has geared up to consolidate and boost health infrastructure in the state.
Mizoram Health Minister Dr R Lalthangliana said on Monday that the state government will set up a Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) soon.
According to the Health Minister, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved to set up a VRDL in the state. At the moment, Mizoram has two RT-PCR machines to test samples for COVID-19. Both the RT-PCR machines are at the Zoram Medical College (ZMC) in Aizawl which has been designated as a COVID-19 hospital of Mizoram.
Dr Lalthangliana said that two more RT-PCR machines will be arriving in the state within this week.
It can be noted here that two Truenat machines have been installed at Lunglei Civil Hospital with the approval of ICMR in order to test samples for COVID-19.
According to the health minister, the Mizoram government will also procure 50 ventilators and an automatic RNA extractor.
With the enhancement of measures with regard to the health infrastructure in the state, the Mizoram government is hopeful of testing around 1,000 samples for COVID-19 on a daily basis. However, Mizoram has to wait for all the new machines to be fully installed.
NNN | AIZAWL
