Citing unequal competition and irregularities among the 11 approved private booths for testing coronavirus infection in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project area in Pabna the health directorate (DGHS) announced them closed on Tuesday.
The 11 private organisations were mainly collecting samples of officials, workers of different organisations of the project and some general people of the district for testing of Covid-19, reports UNB.
The organisations were granted permission by a private organisation named DNA Solution Ltd. and by the Pabna Civil Surgeon office to conduct sample tests in the project area on certain conditions.
On 18 July, the DGHS director Md Farid Hossain Mia sent a letter to the Pabna Civil Surgeon that said some of the organisations permitted by Dhaka-based DNA solution and the Civil Surgeon Office are collecting samples from the area and taking them to test in Dhaka’s RT-PCR lab.
Permission provided by private organisations for collecting samples has been banned by the DGHS as it is creating a competition among the organisations and resulting in many irregularities, the letter said.
Now these private organisations are facing a crisis as they have large dues owing from the organisations under the Rooppur project for Covid testing with them. Many samples the organisations collected through the 11 booths were also not tested.
Md Abdullah Khan, director of one of the 11 private organisations called Famous Specialised Hospital, said that they were the first organisation that got approval and they had been collecting samples for Covid-19 tests maintaining quality and rules.
“We never did any irregularity or broke rule as our work was being monitored by the officials of the health department," he said.
If the DGHS provided them some time before issuing the orders they wouldn’t face such a big loss, he added.
Meanwhile, Pabna civil surgeon Monisor Chowdhury said none of the 11 organisations have their own labs to test the samples for Covid-19. They were taking the samples to Dhaka for testing which drew questions over the quality and results of the tests, and there was an environment of unhealthy competition of sample testing among them, he added.
The Civil Surgeon further said only those who have their own RT-PCR lab in the area would be allowed to do the work of collecting samples from now on.