icddr,b, which is testing government supplied samples for Covid19, is now making the RT-PCR diagnostic facility commercially available for all.
The health department has allowed them to offer the test at the cost of Tk3,500, it said in a statement on Wednesday.
The research institute’s Mohakhali center will collect samples from 7am to 12pm from the people registered online - httpcovid19test.icddrb.org - and make a payment via debit/credit card or online/mobile banking system.
icddr,b said this commercial offering is different from its ongoing Covid-19 testing support to the health directorate, where it has been testing government-provided samples since March and so far tested more than 27,000 samples. The government has provided the kits for those tests.
Acting Director of the Laboratory Sciences and Services Division at icddr, Dr. Dinesh Mondal said they will make the service more accessible to people of all walks of life gradually.
“Our highly skilled, dedicated scientists and clinicians, along with state of the art laboratories will now be able to serve patients with high quality diagnosis which they have always been relied on.”
The test entails swab sample collection from the deep throat and nose of the individual. The reports will be provided within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Only the patient and one accompanying attendant will be allowed inside the testing facility. They must wear face masks and properly adhere to the government’s health and hygiene guidelines, icddr,b said.