Odisha Plus Corona Bureau
The first COVID Testing center in Western Odisha was inaugurated at the Ispat General Hospital of Rourkela, District Sundargarh. The Centre has started with a capacity of 60 samples per day, which later will exceed up to 120 samples a day. Testing of collected samples has already started.
Mr. Dipak Chattarjee, CEO of Rourkela Steel Plant, Ms. Aboli Sunil Naravane, ADM Rourkela and Dr. Sudhanshu Shekhar Pati, Director, Ispat General Hospital, were present on the occasion. District Mineral Fund, Sundargarh has provided the funding support of 1.15 Cr to establish this COVID Testing Lab which is first of its kind in the western Odisha.
The IGH authorities have assisted in mobilizing all the human resources and making testing equipment ready to use. Speaking on the occasion today, Aboli Sunil Naravane, Additional District Magistrate, Rourkela, said that all the swab tests that show corona like symptoms or those people who have a travel history to corona affected places will be tested at Ispat General Hospital (IGH), Rourkela, right from today.
“We will first test the samples of the people of Sundargarh district in the first phase and also test the people of the nearby districts in near future”. “We have been provided with all kinds of facilities by the state government and the district mineral fund,” said Dr. Sudhanshu Shekhar Pati, director of Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela.
Thanks to the financial support provided by the District Mineral Fund, Sundargarh that we were able to build a state-of-the-art facility in a very short time. “Once the test is completed, we will check the veracity of tests and gradually increase the number of tests. Further we will extend these facilities to the people of Sundargarh and for the nearby districts also.”
Coronavirus COVID-19 is a global pandemic and everyone has to work together to defeat it, signed off Dr. Pati.
The Third dedicated 200 bedded COVID hospital is already functional and the launching of this Sample testing center completes the full-fledged need which can now serve to a major population of Sundargarh District and also cater its services to the neighboring Districts.