Punjab health department has established a network of PCR test for hepatitis patients in 12 hospitals of different districts and the rest of districts would be interconnected with these laboratories. Four PCR machines are also working in Institute of Public Health Lahore, which is a public health analyst laboratory and caters only referral cases, a spokesman of health department said on Thursday.
The spokesman termed the impression reflected in some newspapers as baseless that the PCR test facility for hepatitis was not available in Punjab province. At present, besides Jinnah Hospital Lahore the PCR test facility is available in Bahawalpur Victoria Hospital Bahawalpur, Civil Hospital Multan, Civil Hospital Shujabad, Sheikh Zyed Hospital Rahim Yaar Khan, DHQ Hospital Hafiz Abad, DHQ Hospital Faisalabad, Allied Hospital Faisalabad, IPH Laboratory Lahore, Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi and Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi whereas, this facility, in phases is being provided in other teaching hospitals.
The spokesman further said that King Edward Medical University had received a PCR machine from a federal donor agency to investigate only Swine flu and Bird flu as per agreement made with the donor agency. He further said that the machine would be made open for all kinds of tests on completion of its due date of agreement ie January 13, 2011.