Non Positive

With the rise of COVID-19 cases in Manipur and the government still sticking to local transmission claims despite having the characteristics of community transmission, there are many speculations doing the rounds in social media and among people. One of the most discussed topics in recent days is the Medical report of COVID-19 test done by some private diagnostic centre and private hospitals. Many speculate that the diagnostic centres and the private hospitals are minting huge amount of money in the name of rendering public services by providing COVID-19 test.
It has been said wisely, there’s no smoke without fire and the smoke we see today may be the product of negligence by some technicians of the diagnostic centre and hospitals in question or other reasons, which is best known to the parties involved. Recently, there was news about the test result of a person having two results of COVID-19, one having Negative result and another having Positive result on the same day. This is not acceptable in any way and can be term as pure negligence on the side of the party performing the test of the individual. Also, taking in view of the Stigma and discrimination meted out to COVID-19 positive people in Manipur, it is a serious concern for the person involved mentally. Heads should have rolled instead of sending out a press release and justifying the result. It has become a norm in Manipur to send out a press release after some wrong-doing justifying the act.
Also, earlier there were some hospitals providing COVID-19 test using Rapid Antigen Test and providing test result summarizing as “test result based on real time reverse transcriptase PCR technology”, which is deception at its best to the unsuspecting public. Or, are the technicians involved in performing such test are ignorant about the difference between the two tests? If so, the hospital in question is not fit to render such service to the public, employing such technicians and the staff involved. Also if it were an act of deception whether knowingly or unknowingly by the private hospitals, it doesn’t go well in this time of pandemic. In these difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic, they should be extra careful on rendering their services.
The government, mainly the Department of Health needs to monitor from time to time the services being rendered by the private parties. If there are any complaints received from any section of the public, they should be proactive in addressing the grievances of the public, after all they are there for the public. Any act of negligence or deception relating to medical services should be dealt sternly instead of staying silent by the health department and the concerned parties whether diagnostic centres or hospitals, should stop this whole thing of justification and clarification on their wrong-doings, instead should work on to prevent such thing from happening and appropriate action should be taken up.