Shillong - Meghalaya Health Services Update

Director of Health Services (MI), Dr. Aman War, on Thursday said that authorities at various entry points to Meghalaya are conducting antigen tests and not antibody tests.

Dr. War was reacting to a statement by the Director of North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), Prof. Prithwis Bhattacharya, who claimed that conducting antibody tests at the entry points is a "wasteful expenditure".

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The Director of Health Services stated that the NEIGRIHMS Director "does not" have the "mandate" to make any observations on the rapid antigen tests being conducted by the State government.

"He is not in the state government's circle and I thought he would retract his statement," Dr. War said.

According to him, the rapid antigen test is cost-effective and is followed up by RTPCR. However, saying that conducting tests at the entry points is wasteful expenditure is totally wrong.

"He has no mandate to comment on policy decisions of the State government and such statements are being lapped up by people," Dr. War said.

He mentioned that such people are aware of COVID-19 but at the same time thrive on negativity.

"... and in doing so they lead people to confusion instead of enlightening them," Dr. War said.

The Director of Health Services reported that rapid antigen tests have been conducted on around 70,000 people who have entered the State so far, out of which 400 have been found with symptoms and were subsequently tested with RTPCR and were positive for the virus.

He also stated that the protocols are clear that the rapid antigen test is sensitive and fast.

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