Ramping up the testing capacity of Covid-19 in Punjab for effectively dealing with the surge in Covid Cases in Jalandhar, the Punjab Medical Education & Research Minister Mr OP Soni on Monday inaugurated Covid-19 Viral Testing lab, established in the premises of Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory North Zone, Ladowali Road.Accompanied by the Vice Chancellor, Baba Farid University of Health Science, Faridkot Dr Raj Bahadur, Special Secretary Animal Husbandry Mr Manpreet Singh Chatwal, Deputy Commissioner Mr Ghanshyam Thori, Commissioner of Police Mr Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, the Minister said that the lab would carry out 1000 tests per day and with the opening of the four labs today, the testing capacity in Punjab will touch the mark of 16000 tests daily, which would further lead to contain the spread of contagion by ensuring timely detection and treatment.The Minister said that a dedicated team of the experienced doctors and scientists had been stationed here besides providing requisite medical equipment, lab staff and others for the Covid testing by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot.
Mr Soni said that with this facility starting here now there would be no need to send the samples to other places and would help the local health department for start testing, tracing and treatment at the earliest.The Cabinet Minister said that the Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is committed to tackle any kind of exigency in the view of the spike in Covid cases and augmentation of the medical infrastructure to ensure best possible care and treatment is being carried out expeditiously.He said that the saving the precious lives of the people from the pandemic is the foremost priority of the government and urged the people with co-morbidities to come forward for the Covid testing for ensuring early treatment to them.Lauding the efforts of the district administration in the battle against the Covid-19, the Minister said that despite the cases are increasing in Jalandhar; the officials of Jalandhar have been working round the clock in these trying conditions to arrest the spread of the contagion. Prominent among present occasion included DCP Mr Arun Saini, SDM-II Mr Rahul Sindhu, Joint Director Dr HS Kahlon, Dr Gomty Mahajan, scientists Dr Mukesh Mittal, Dr Gagandeep Bangar, Dr Charanjit Sarangal, Dr Gaurav Sharma, Dr Deepak Bhatia and Dr Parveen Kumar and others.