RT-PCR labs at Dhaka airport start Saturday: Health minister

Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said UAE-bound passengers can avail Covid-19 testing facilities at RT-PCR labs set up at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from Saturday onwards.

He made the announcement on Thursday while visiting at the airport’s Terminal-2 for setting up the six private labs.

The minister also noted that a total of 12 testing machines will be set up at these six labs, which would be able to serve some 3,500-4,000 passengers daily.

Confirming that several RT-PCR machines have already arrived at the Dhaka airport, Zahid also said concerned officials, including from the health sector, have been working tirelessly to set up the facility.

Expatriates and passengers can go to the UAE after testing at these six labs from Sunday without any hassle, he added.

On Wednesday evening, 46 Bangladesh expatriates departed for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after being tested negative for Covid-19 by a mobile RT-PCR lab at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.  

The RT-PCR testing laboratories are setting up at the men’s prayer room on the ground floor of Terminal-1 of the airport and samples will be collected from the second floor of the same building from a room which is now being used as a godown.

According to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, the United Arab Emirates (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 HSIA.

Already, six out of seven of these private laboratories have already sent their Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to the UAE for approval.

The six approved 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), and DMFR Molecular Lab and Diagnostics.

Only Zainul Haque Sikder Women’s Medical College Hospital did not send its SOP, which resulted in its exclusion from the UAE list.

Meanwhile, sources at the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh said even if any of the government approved companies do not meet UAE’s requirements, they will still be able to operate inside the airport for other international destinations.

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.