Private lab's license revoked for mistakenly adding Kolkata COVID-19 cases to Tamil Nadu's tally

Tamil Nadu: The Directorate of Medical Health in Tamil Nadu has temporarily cancelled the lab's permission to test RT-PCR samples for COVID-19 under Tamil Nadu Public Health Act 1939.

On May 21, the lab uploaded 4,000 negative cases from Tamil Nadu as positive cases to the ICMR portal. After the uploading, it was found that the lab uploaded positive samples received from Kolkata as samples received from Kallakurichidistrict in Tamil Nadu.

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Speaking to the News Minute, the Directorate said "The incomplete details were found in the line list of positive cases entered daily. The laboratory created an unfavourable environment with vested interest and negligent attitude in the efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic and worked against the guidelines issued by the Government and ICMR."

Further, the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, TS Selvavinayagam, said in the statement, "The uploading of positive results has led to the undue increase in caseload and positivity of TN. This has spoiled the sincere efforts taken by the State in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic."

"The uploading of negative results as positive caused undue confusion fear, anxiety, and tension among the general public. This is an act of nuisance for the people for whom wrong results are declared," he added.

In response to the matter, Diagnostic Service Centre said in a statement that it was due to an encryption mistake while submitting the data to the ICMR portal.

Service Centre further added "It must be mentioned that the Medall RT-PCR testing procedure is not in question. It must be clarified and recorded that the report generated and distributed to customers who took the test is correct. So the problem isn't with the testing process, its consistency, or its accuracy."

"As we share this, our team is working in close coordination with the state government officials on the same," it said. It said it will wholeheartedly welcome and provide unstinted co-operation to any state government team visiting the lab.

"When the encryption error is rectified/addressed, it offsets the issue/challenge caused by the error," it added.

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