The trial of Covid-19 tests through RT-PCR laboratories at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka began on Sunday morning, aiming to facilitate the expatriates for their pre-departure Covid testing.
The activities started through six private laboratories set up at the airport’s Terminal 2, said Dr Shahriar Sazzad, in-charge of the airport health centre.
“In first phase, samples of 100 expatriates will be collected and tested through the laboratories,” he said.
On Wednesday evening, 46 Bangladesh expatriates left Dhaka for the UAE through a much-anticipated Covid-19 test on a mobile RT-PCR laboratory mounted on a van outside the airport.
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 at the airport.
Earlier on September 14, the health ministry approved seven private laboratories to set up RT-PCR booths to test outgoing passengers for Covid-19 at the airport.
The six approved private laboratories are — Gulshan Clinic Limited, Stemz Health Care (BD) Limited Dhaka, CSBF Health Centre, AMZ Hospital Limited, Anwer Khan Modern Medical College Hospital (AKMMCH), and DMFR Molecular Lab and Diagnostics.
Zainul Haque Sikder Women’s Medical College Hospital was later excluded from the list as it did not send its standard operating procedure to the UAE authorities.
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.
