Bengaluru, Mar 28 (IANS): Leading digital healthcare platform Practo on Saturday said it has partnered with diagnostic lab chain Thyrocare to conduct Covid-19 detection tests authorised by the government and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Starting Saturday, the test is available for Mumbai residents for Rs 4,500, and will soon be expanded to the rest of the country, Practo said.

A valid doctor's prescription, duly filled Test Requisition Form signed by the physician, and a photo ID card has to be presented at the time of testing.

"To ensure that anyone who experiences the symptoms of the infection can get tested, the government is constantly working on expanding the list of labs and centers," Alexander Kuruvilla, Chief Health Strategy Officer, Practo, said in a statement.

"We've partnered with Thyrocare to ensure that access to these tests is not an issue. We will continue to work closely with the authorities to identify more such areas where Practo can solve for accessibility - be it for doctor consultations, testing or medicine delivery," Kuruvilla added.

Certified phlebotomists from home healthcare service provider I2H will collect the samples from the patients' homes directly, Practo said, adding that the swab that is taken during the test will be collected in a viral transport medium (VTM) and will be transported in a cold chain to the Thyrocare laboratory which has been selected for COVID-19 testing.

The report will be made available to the patients on the Practo website within 24-48 hours of the sample collection, the company added.