Starting from June 26, the globally recognised diagnostic centre of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) at Mohakhali, Dhaka will offer SARS CoV-2 test to patients suspected of having Covid-19.
Initially, the patients will be required to book an appointment through online registration by visiting http://covid19test.icddrb.org and making a payment via debit/credit card or online/mobile banking system.
The web application will be live from 6 pm Wednesday (today) and ready for registration.
The test will cost Tk 3,500 per test, which is all-inclusive. The test entails swab sample collection from the deep throat and nose of the individual.
Samples will be collected daily from 7 am to 12 pm while reports will be provided within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Dinesh Mondal, Acting Director of the Laboratory Sciences and Services Division at icddr,b said, "Our patients' and staff members' safety is our priority and accordingly we have renovated our diagnostic centre to cater for Covid-19 patients."
Initially, they are offering the test through online registration only, but eventually, they will make it more accessible to all walks of life, Mondal said.
"Our highly-skilled, dedicated scientists and clinicians, along with state of the art laboratories will now be able to serve patients with a high-quality diagnosis which they have always been relied on."
Only the patient and one accompanying attendant will be allowed inside the testing facility. They must wear facemasks and properly adhere to the government’s health and hygiene guidelines.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has given approval to icddr,b’s Diagnostic Centre to undertake RT-PCR based Covid-19 test.
However, it is to be noted that this commercial offering is different from icddr,b’s ongoing Covid-19 testing support to the DGHS, where it has been testing government-provided samples since March and so far tested more than 27,000 samples free of charge (testing kits were provided by the DGHS).
