Afghan patients to avail free of cost coronavirus test facility in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to extend cooperation with the war-torn Afghanistan, allowing free of cost tests for the suspected coronavirus patients, a virus that has already claimed more than 1000 lives in neighbouring China, ARY NEWS reported.

According to sources, the decision to facilitate the Afghanistan patients to undergo free coronavirus testing process was taken on humanitarian basis.

“The test will be conducted at National Institute of Health (NIH),” they said adding that the Afghan government would send samples of the suspected patients to Islamabad.

It is pertinent to mention here that the coronavirus test cost upto Rs 7000 and the Pakistani government decided to extend this facility on the request of the Afghan government.

On February 13, National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad on Monday initiated performing tests on the suspected patients of the coronavirus.

The testing kits were imported from China and now the authorities could test the presence of the virus in a patient, submitting reports within 24-hours of the test.

“Each kit cost US$ 2000 and could be used to perform tests on 50 patients,” they said adding that Rs 7000 would be charged from each patient for the test.

The NIH has also devised a standard operating procedure (SOP) for carrying out tests on the suspected patients as sources said that not every patient would undergo a test unless he shows key symptoms of the virus.

“Designated-hospitals will submit the samples for test and they will be bound to send the patient’s sample along with a report on symptoms,” they said.