PASIGHAT, Nov 5: Health Minister Alo Libang on Thursday inaugurated the RT-PCR laboratory, the blood component separation (BCS) unit and the Apheresis apparatus at Bakin Pertin General Hospital (BPGH) here in East Siang district.
During the inaugural programme of the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) laboratory, microbiologist Dr B Apum informed that “it will help in identifying the extent of spread of the coronavirus, besides formulating strategies to combat it.”
“In the RT-PCR laboratories test, nasopharyngeal swabs are collected from suspected patients’ nose and throat.
Basically, it is the gold standard test for confirmation of Covid-19 molecular diagnostic test (gene). In future, it will also help in identifying many viral diseases like hepatitis, chikungunya, dengue, influenza, etc,” Dr Apum added.
On the inauguration of the BCS unit and the Apheresis apparatus on the day, pathologists Drs G Jonkey and Kaling Jerang informed that Apheresis is a medical technology in which the blood of a person passes through an apparatus (Apharesis machine) that separates out one particular blood constituent (blood component) and returns the remainder to the circulation.
Sharing more details, the duo added that “blood components are red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma. It is used for collection of plasma called plasmapharesis, where therapeutic plasmapharesis can also be done in debilitating chronic autoimmune diseases.”
The minister was accompanied by MLA K Moyong, DC Dr Kinny Singh, JDHS Dr D Raina, MS Dr YR Darang and doctors, who also visited the ICU ward and took stock of other developments at the hospital. (DIPRO)
