Bio-safety level 3 facility to come up at AIIMS Jodhpur
A BIO-SAFETY LEVEL 3 LABORATORY IS REQUIRED FOR RESEARCH ON MICROBES THAT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS RESPIRATORY DISEASES.
JODHPUR: A facility of bio-safety level 3 will be started at the regional level Viral Research and Diagnostic Lab (VRDL) at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Jodhpur for testing and research on serious infectious diseases including Covid-19.
In the first phase, the capacity of existing Covid-19 tests will be increased by five to six times in the next one month, said an official of the Jodhpur hospital.
A bio-safety level 3 laboratory is required for research on microbes that can cause serious respiratory diseases.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has sanctioned Rs 7.5 crore for the AIIMS Jodhpur as part of a plan to establish a network of labs for managing epidemics and natural calamities.
Under the plan, a tender was issued last year for a bio-safety level 3 facility, but one of the bidders filed a petition in the Rajasthan High Court.
The high court on January 16 this year directed the AIIMS Jodhpur to continue the tender process, but the tender shall not be awarded to the successful bidder. The court ordered an interim stay on the matter.
In view of the outbreak of Covid-19, on behalf of the AIIMS Jodhpur, assistant solicitor general Sanjeet Purohit recently filed an application in the high court requesting to vacate the interim stay and an early hearing on the matter.
After hearing the matter through a video conferencing, Justice Arun Bhansali vacated the interim stay on the tender process.
Purohit told the court that in view of the Covid-19 outbreak, the facility of bio-safety level 3 is needed in Rajasthan. About Rs 2.37 crore is estimated to be spent on this facility.
An official of the AIIMS Jodhpur said that the process of issuing work order to the successful bidder has been started. The bidder will be given four-month time, with the Covid-19 testing facility being set up within a month.
When this facility is started, the capacity of the present testing at the AIIMS Jodhpur will be increased by five to six times, the official said, requesting not to be named.
It may be mentioned here that courts are hearing only urgent matters these days.