Meghalaya DHS hits out at NEIGRIHMS Director over antigen test comment
Director of Health Services (DHS) said that the NEIGRIHMS Director "does not" have the "mandate" to make any observation on the rapid antigen tests being conducted by the State government.
Shillong - Meghalaya Director of Health Services (MI), Dr Aman War on Thursday said that authorities in various entry points to Meghalaya are conducting antigen tests and not for antibodies.
Dr War was reacting to a statement by the Director of North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), Prof. Prithwis Bhattacharya, that conducting antibody tests at the entry points is a "wasteful expenditure".
Director of Health Services said that the NEIGRIHMS Director "does not" have the "mandate" to make any observation on the rapid antigen tests being conducted by the State government.
"He is not in the state government's circle and I thought he would retract his statement," Dr War said.
According to him, the rapid antigen test was cost-effective and it is being followed up by RTPCR, but saying conducting tests at the entry points as wasteful expenditure was totally wrong.
"He has no mandate to comment on policy decision of the State government and such statements are being lapped up by people," Dr War said.
He said that such people are in the know of COVID-19 but at the same time they are thriving on negativity
"... and in doing so they lead people to confusion instead of enlightening them," Dr War said.
The Director of Health Services said that the rapid antigen tests have been conducted on around 70, 000 people who have entered the State so far out of which 400 have been found with symptoms who were subsequently tested with RTPCR and were positive for the virus.
He also said that the protocols are clear that the rapid antigen test is sensitive and fast.
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