THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
KIMSHEALTH Trivandrum, a world-class multi-specialty hospital here that is at the forefront of COVID care, has been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration (NABL) and the Government of Kerala as an RT-PCR testing centre for COVID-19.
The hospital can now collect samples, test and diagnose COVID-19 suspects through RT-PCR (real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction).
Symptomatic patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) and asymptomatic high-risk contacts of a positive case can benefit from the COVID-19 RT-PCR test facility.
Screening patients for COVID-19 prior to surgery or medical procedures can also be done by RT-PCR.
“Over the course of the COVID-19 crisis, the importance of reliable and accessible testing for disease screening has become increasingly apparent,” said Dr M I Sahadulla, Group Chairman and Managing Director of KIMSHEALTH.
RT- PCR Test is considered as the “gold standard” for COVID testing by the WHO (World Health Organization) and US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) due to its high fidelity and increased sensitivity, he said.
“KIMSHEALTH has been in the vanguard of COVID care and had been a COVID-safe hospital ever since the pandemic broke out. Over this period, we have worked earnestly to provide our guests with the best of healthcare facilities putting safety and quality topmost in our minds,” he added.
Meanwhile, in RT- PCR, in addition to Nasopharyngeal or Oropharyngeal swabs, sputum and lower respiratory tract aspirates can also be used as test samples.
Out of the tests available, RT- PCR gives a near 100% accurate result, however, in total the laboratory takes around 6-8 hours to deliver a conclusive result.
Ideally, a person can get tested if he/she has any of the COVID-19 symptoms. In case he/she is asymptomatic but has been a primary contact of someone who tested positive, testing should be done between 5-14 days from the last day of contact.
Other tests at KIMSHEALTH are Truenat Test, GeneXpert Test, Antigen/Card Test. For testing please call 04712941400.
