RT-PCR labs at Dhaka airport await UAE nod

Bangladesh will begin setting up RT-PCR testing laboratories at the Dhaka airport as soon as it gets approval from the United Arab Emirates.

According to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, the UAE has made it mandatory for passengers from Bangladesh to depart within six hours of taking an RT-PCR test.

Thousands of workers became stranded after returning home amid the pandemic. They are now getting ready to return to the UAE as the virus situation is improving.

The UAE is one of the most popular destinations for Bangladeshi workers. Last year, Bangladeshis working in the Middle Eastern country sent back more than $2.5 billion or 11.53 per cent of the total remittance received in 2020, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training.

Seven institutions received the government’s approval for setting up RT-PCR test facilities at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for migrants, mainly flying to the Middle Eastern country.

The UAE sought their standard operating procedure (SOP) and would approve them after scrutiny.

“Only UAE-approved labs among these seven will be allowed to operate at the airport,” Dhaka airport health officer Dr Shariar Sajjad told The Business Post.

Meanwhile, at a meeting on Sunday, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) urged the testing institutions to set up a combined service centre.

CAAB will support the installation of the labs.

The private laboratories are — Gulshan Clinic Limited, Stemz Health Care (BD) Limited Dhaka, CSBF Health Centre, AMZ Hospital Limited, Anwar Khan Modern Medical College Hospital (AKMMCH), Zainul Haque Sikder Women’s Medical College (ZHSWMC), and DMFR Molecular Lab and Diagnostics.

Meanwhile, the expatriates’ welfare ministry has fixed the test fees.

The laboratories would enable passengers to undergo Covid-19 tests at the booths by paying a minimum of Tk 1,700 to a maximum of Tk 2,300.

The venue will be located on the multi-storied parking building’s roof.

The authorities of the labs said it would take at least a month to construct rooms on the rooftop, install air conditioning, ensuring minimum biosafety level to maintain the quality of the labs, cooler boxes per booth, biosafety cabinet, PCR cabinet, changing room, washing and handwashing facilities.