IBSD assisting Meghalaya to set up COVID-testing facility in Tura

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: As part of its efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19, the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), a national Institute of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, with headquarters at Imphal and a center at Upper Shillong, has been working with the Meghalaya Health department to set up a COVID-19 diagnostics facility at Tura, which is more than 300 km from NEIGRIHMS, Shillong. NEIGRIHMS is the lone COVID-19 testing center in Meghalaya.

The IBSD has provided an RT-PCR machine, a refrigerated centrifuge and two deep freezers along with technical support and orientation for the equipment. These have been handed over to the State team of doctors and laboratory technicians, who have also been trained on these equipment for COVID-19 testing at the Microbiology Department of NEIGHRIHMS. Prof Pulok K Mukherjee, Director IBSD, also extended his appreciation to the Meghalaya Heath department for working tirelessly in their battle against COVID-19 and also assured full support from IBSD to the State for any other scientific endeavours in this current COVID-19 crisis.

The Tura facility is being made at the Government Civil Hospital. This has come about by online and virtual co-ordination between the teams of Commissioner and Secretary, Health, government of Meghalaya and the Director IBSD. Dr Albert Chiang, scientist of IBSD is coordinating with the Meghalaya Heath department in this matter. While most of the equipment have been delivered and installed at Tura over the last two weeks and the facility would be ready to start testing in a few days, the DBT-IBSD shared these essential equipment in the earlier interim period to rapidly fill up the gap brought about by the global supply chain crisis in these equipment and consumables.

In similar efforts, the DBT-IBSD has provided both equipment and consumables support to several COVID-19 testing facilities across the northeastern region, such as JNIMS and RIMS in Manipur, NEIGHRIHMS in Shillong, Zoram Medical College in Mizoram and Pasteur Institute, in Meghalaya.