Four private hospitals to conduct testing for COVID-19

COLOMBO (News1st): Four private hospitals have agreed to conduct 100 tests daily to detect COVID-19 patients, upon a request made by the government, amid calls to scale up testing. These tests “will be confined to samples sent by the government only”, the Association of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes said in a statement. “We, the private sector are happy to play a key role in easing the national burden of healthcare in the current pandemic,” Dr. Lakith Peiris, the president of the association said. The government had previously stated that it is capable of conducting 1000 tests daily, but medical groups have urged for more to stem the spread of the virus. Sri Lanka, which has experienced a sudden surge in COVID-19 cases, saw the total number of infections soaring up to 622, with recoveries standing at 134. Meanwhile, Dr. Peiris also noted that private hospitals are ready to treat patients for other medical needs, to reduce the stress for national hospitals dealing with the pandemic. “Our emergency services plus other outpatients and inpatient clinic facilities will continue to provide the usual services,” he added.