PCR controversy: Now private labs allowed at BIA vehicle park

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Various private laboratories are setting up tents in the BIA car park to test those going to the Middle East despite the existence of two high tech labs at the Airport, College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) President, Ravi Kumudesh complained yesterday.

Kumudesh told The Island that it was an attempt to fleece poor Sri Lankan workers leaving for West Asia.

“On 02 November the Airport and Aviation Services (AAS) issued a tender for conducting PCR tests on passengers travelling to West Asia on Emirates flights. AAS has also asked for Rs. 1,000 each as commission from tests conducted by private labs. All this is happening while two state-of-the-art labs, one operated by the Health Ministry and the other under the Tourism Ministry, are functioning at the airport,” he said.

Several private labs were putting up tents at the airport car park for PCR testing, Kumudesh said. “These institutions have been allowed to use the car park because they are backed by powerful politicians and officials,” he said.

“The labs at the airport can test a person and provide a report in less than three hours. However, when Emirates informed the Health Ministry a few months ago that they required passengers to have a PCR done within six hours before getting into the airport, the senior officials said that the government had no capacity to do so. In fact, a senior Health Ministry official issued a circular specifying certain machines that should be used for these rapid PCR tests. These machines have not been approved by the NMRA,” he said.

Kumudesh said that at the end of the day, those private labs would charge Sri Lankan migrant workers leaving for Wes Asia exorbitant amounts for the PCR tests. At a time when Sri Lanka desperately needed foreign remittances, fleecing Sri Lankan workers couldn’t be condoned, he said.

“It is doubtful where the tests conducted by private labs are accurate. A few months ago, China blacklisted a Sri Lankan PCR lab for providing inaccurate reports.