Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Sep 18: As work pressure in the swab testing laboratory at the district hospital Mangaluru has increased, a temporary laboratory had been established in Sullia KVG College where swab tests and tests for other infectious diseases were being performed.

As demand for a separate laboratory for Puttur subdivision gained strength, plans have been finalised to shift the temporary laboratory from Sullia to Samarthya Soudha here and to upgrade it into a full-fledged laboratory.

As Dakshina Kannada district administration has decided to establish the second laboratory at Puttur, in the coming days, diagnosis of infectious diseases like dengue, malaia, covid19 among others will be faster. The laboratory construction has begun and it will begin serving the people within six months from now.

At the instance of minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, a temporary laboratory had been opened by making use of the infrastructure of KVG College. Test samples from Puttur, Kadaba and Sullia taluks were being tested here and reports were generated. In the past, it took three to four days to get test reports, but after this alternative arrangement was made, reports were made available within an average of two days.

The laboratory at Puttur will be opened by shifting the equipment from KVG College. The costs of establishing a laboratory here will be about one crore rupees, which will be funded by the state disaster response force. After the lab is opened, the district laboratory will confine itself to testing samples of Bantwal, Moodbidri and Mangaluru taluks while the one at Puttur will attend to samples from Puttur, Kadaba and Beltangady taluks, said deputy commissioner of the district, Dr Rajendra K V.

Puttur MLA Sanjeev Matandoor, said that a separate laboratory, which will be opened on the first floor of Samarthya Soudha Puttur will be operational within six months. Administrative medical officer of Puttur government hospital, Dr Asha Putturaya, stated that for malaria tests, reports will be issued in Puttur whereas for dengue, tests will be conducted at Puttur bur the reports will be obtained from Mangaluru.