Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital has said essential laboratory tests are continuing without disruption, rejecting reports that shortages of kits or reagents had affected diagnostic services at the public hospital.
The hospital superintendent said tests are being conducted daily, including ELISA tests for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. According to the laboratory register cited by the administration, an average of 51 tests for each of the two diseases were conducted every day up to Saturday.
Testing kits for these services are being supplied through the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd (KMSCL), the hospital said. The administration also stated that fever-related diagnostic testing remains operational through kits supplied under departmental project funds and through KMSCL.
The fever panel currently includes Dengue NS1 and IgM ELISA, Leptospira IgM, Scrub Typhus IgM, Brucella IgM, and Hepatitis B and C ELISA tests. Culture and sensitivity tests are also being conducted using facilities available at the hospital, according to the superintendent.
The administration separately denied that a shortage of reagents was affecting the biochemistry department. It said replacement kits are procured in advance through the Hospital Development Society when existing reagents are expected to run out. The stated aim is to prevent interruptions to investigations even when supplies face temporary pressure.
The hospital said free tests are available to AAY cardholders, prison inmates, patients without bystanders and unidentified patients. Where a test is temporarily unavailable at the central biochemistry laboratory, patients can access it at the Hospital Development Society laboratory operating within the hospital premises at reduced rates.
According to the superintendent, patients are not being referred to private laboratories because of reagent non-availability. The administration said the required tests remain accessible through the Hospital Development Society and ACR laboratories functioning within the hospital complex.
The episode highlights the multiple supply and service channels being used to keep diagnostics running at a large government hospital: central procurement through KMSCL, departmental project funds, advance purchases through the hospital development society and laboratories operating within the wider hospital campus. The hospital administration said it is continuously monitoring the availability of kits and reagents and taking measures through KMSCL and departmental projects to address any temporary shortages.
The superintendent cited the laboratory register as evidence that essential tests are being conducted regularly and urged the public not to circulate misleading claims about disruption of laboratory services.