Health authorities in Bangladesh recently took the decision to decentralize testing facilities in a bid to conduct more tests to help predict the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the new strain of coronavirus which leads to Covid-19. However, the Covid 19 outbreak is not the only reason behind a decentralization of testing, health experts have said.
Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Director General Dr Abul Kalam Azad announced the decision to decentralize testing during a press briefing on Saturday. Significantly more tests need to be conducted in order to reveal the true Covid-19 situation in the country, according to the DGHS DG.
The move follows the example of Germany, where the decentralized system allows around 400 public health offices to independently conduct a total of over 300,000 tests per week, as reported in the Guardian.
Health experts have said the true benefit of decentralized testing will be felt during the mosquito season, as well as by those suffering from chest problems.
The symptoms of Covid-19 are similar to those of many diseases, including the mosquito-borne dengue and chikungunya. If all three strike at the same time, the need for speedy medical tests and quick dispensing of results will be greater than ever before, said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) department of virology Chairman Prof Saif Ullah Munshi.
Decentralized testing will allow hospitals to provide the correct treatment as soon as possible, and the government also needs to take measures to destroy mosquito larvae to minimize confusion, he added.
Assistant Professor (Epidemiology) Rizwanul Karim Shamim, a program manager at DGHS, said Covid-19 symptoms such as fever and cough were common in many cardiac and respiratory infections, not to mention that patients with pneumonia, COPD, chest diseases and cardiac problems were among the most vulnerable to Covid-19.
According to DGHS data obtained from an anonymous source, tens of thousands of people have been diagnosed around the country with symptoms similar to those of Covid-19 this year.
National Institute of Cardiology and Hospital Resident Surgeon Ashraful Haque Sium said most cardiac and chest patients need immediate treatment. Any delays due to concerns over coronavirus could have deadly consequences, so the institute was in discussions with Dhaka Shishu Hospital to ensure they could receive test results as soon as possible.
Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital Director, pulmonologist and chest diseases expert Dr Uttom Kumar Barua said decentralized testing was the real hope to combat the on-going crisis, as it would enable hospitals to get test results as quickly as within a few hours of admitting patients.
The health authorities have begun testing at 14 facilities throughout the country, while 11 more facilities will be in operation very soon, according to the DGHS.
