Waiting for govt nod to scale up number of COVID-19 testing labs to 17: Apollo Hospitals

Healthcare major Apollo Hospitals on Thursday said it plans to scale up the number of its laboratories for testing of COVID-19 to 17 as soon as it gets permission from the government.

Currently, five labs of Apollo Hospitals have been approved by the government for novel coronavirus testing across the country.

The healthcare provider also plans to scale up the number of beds earmarked for treatment of COVID-19 across its hospitals if the need arises, the top management of the group said in a virtual media conference on the launch of 'Project Kavach' by the group.

The response plan is a comprehensive approach by Apollo Hospitals that encompasses all aspects from information, screening and assessment, testing, to readying the infrastructure for quarantine and treatment of novel coronavirus pandemic.

"We currently have five labs that are approved for testing of COVID-19. We plan to scale them to 17 as soon as we get the approval from the government," Apollo Hospitals Executive Vice Chairperson Shobana Kameneni told PTI in an email response.

When asked about the number of the isolation beds the company has to cater to the patients suffering from the pandemic, she said the facility and isolation beds are existing and spread across our hospital network. The scale-up will be done accordingly over time to meet the demand.

About the pharmacies, Kameneni said: "The 3,800 Apollo pharmacies across 18 states will be pressed into action to serve people with all the medication, consumables and supplements as required. Stocks have been doubled, prices will be strictly monitored and controlled, and home delivery capability has been enhanced."