The Left Front-led Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has awarded the contract for conducting dengue tests to a private laboratory, which is situated near Mukundapur. Ironically, the laboratory does not have basic infrastructure to conduct such tests.

Four months ago, the then municipal commissioner, Alapan Bandyopadhyay, issued an order stating that private laboratories will conduct the tests on a public-private partnership (PPP) model, but till date the laboratory, in question, is yet to procure ELISA readers or ELISA kits — required for detecting dengue virus in blood samples.

Interestingly, the civic body has over 130 laboratories of its own situated all across the city. Lacking proper infrastructure, these laboratories can carry out only malaria tests.

Stating that its laboratories don’t have adequate facilities to conduct dengue tests, the KMC had earlier floated the idea of referring patients to other laboratories for getting their tests done.

The School of Tropical Medicine (STM) is the only centre run by the state where dengue tests are conducted. Apart from the STM, most of the private laboratories in the city possess ELISA readers and conduct such tests.

However, after the state health department asked the KMC to set up infrastructure for dengue tests, the latter outsourced the work to a private laboratory without floating any tender.

Adding to it, the civic authorities decided to pay the diagnostic laboratory Rs 1 lakh per year and another Rs 1,500 for each patient referred to it without consulting the board of councillors (BOC).

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