It has been over a year since people have been visiting government health facilities for COVID-19 tests and yet, basic details that can minimise communication with the staff or the need to stay back longer are not displayed at the sample collection centres. There is no mention of timings for collection of samples, time taken for test results or the numbers to call if results are delayed.
Apart from Primary Health Centres, samples for both RT-PCR and rapid antigen tests are collected at major hospitals including Sir Ronald Ross Institute of Tropical and Communicable Diseases at Nallakunta, also known as Fever Hospital, and Nature Cure Hospital in Begumpet.
Hundreds of people opt the two centres to undergo tests and the numbers are again increasing. However, there is no board or banner displaying basic details regarding the tests. In such a scenario, people have to enquire with the staff taking down details for registration about test results and other doubts regarding sample collection.
Waiting time
An elderly person who visited Nature Cure Hospital on Monday had to wait for almost half hour to find out his test results which were delayed by three days. Neither he or the staff knew if the man, who was standing with others, was positive for coronavirus.
Officials have earlier said that people can dial ‘104’ to get details. On dialling the number, one was informed that the timings for sample collection at government centres was 9 a.m to 12 noon. Apart ‘104’, the website ‘covid19.telangana.gov.in’ displays 040-23450624 and 23450735 as State Control Room numbers. When the control room number was dialled, they said details about timings of samples collection can be received by dialling COVID emergency care toll-free number 1800-599-4455.
