Gujarat: AMA wants testing in pvt hospitals with no govt interference, moves HC

The plea also points out that family members of a lab-confirmed positive patient are not being permitted to be tested and are being made to wait for approvals up to three or five days, by when “ much damage is already done.”

The Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA) has moved the Gujarat High Court seeking its direction to allow ICMR-approved private laboratories and hospitals to conduct RT-PCR tests for Covid-19 “without any interference” from the state government.

The high court had, in its May 22 order, directed Gujarat government to allow everybody to take a Covid-19 test.

The move by the association comes after the state government imposed stringent testing protocol with respect to RTPCR-tests in ICMR-approved private laboratories.

“Since about last week or a little more, the respondents (state government) are not permitting private laboratories to conduct RT-PCR tests for Covid-19, without the approval of the respondents. The approvals, it is humbly submitted, are withheld for no justifiable reason. This has eventually resulted into a situation whereby doctors are unable to treat patients,” stated the application filed by the AMA on May 26.

The plea also points out that family members of a lab-confirmed positive patient are not being permitted to be tested and are being made to wait for approvals up to three or five days, by when “ much damage is already done.”

Citing an example of how the new regulation has endangered medical practitioners, the plea mentioned the case of orthopaedic surgeon Dr Aditya Upadhyay who succumbed to Covid-19 on May 25 after purportedly contracting the infection from a positive patient he operated upon, whose tests could not be performed owing to the new regulations.

On May 15, a notification was issued by the government stating that apart from the criteria laid down by the ICMR on who can take a Covid-19 test, testing was allowed for pregnant women seven days before their estimated due date or prior to an emergency caesarean operation, those undergoing a pre-operative procedure to a major operation, pre-dialysis procedure and invasive procedure. However, the notification stipulated that such tests, should have the approval of the respective chief district health officer (CDHO) or medical officer of health (MOH). In Ahmedabad district, the approval of GMERS Sola Medical Superintendent is required.

The application seeks that this order be quashed and set aside, with respect to testing requiring approval of CDHO or MOH.
AMA President Dr Mona Desai had written to Principal Health Secretary Jayanti Ravi on May 20, highlighting the perils of the changed guideline. “…we are supposed to take permission from DHO or CDHO and after that the tests are done but the problem is we are not getting any response from them for 2-3 days and it becomes very difficult to treat the patient and in emergency this would lead to fatal results,” said the letter by Desai.

The letter asks Ravi to look into this matter and added that this system will prove “catastrophic.”

Speaking to The Indian Express, Dr Desai said, “The government needs to respect the treating doctor’s opinion (if they are prescribing a Covid-19 test for patient who is to be treated for other disease). How can a person sitting miles away (CDHO/MOH) know whether to approve someone for a test or not? There are those who may require an operation within 12 hours.”