Dr. Bikash Devkota, MoHP spokesperson, said on Monday that he health ministry has issued 'Interim Guidelines for the Establishment and Operationalisation of Molecular Laboratories for COVID-19'.

The permission is given with an objective to maintain and regulate the minimum standards of laboratories testing COVID-19. This is in line with this directive, private laboratories can also conduct COVID-19 test through PCR technique by fulfilling the prescribed standards.

However, the private laboratories willing to operate COVID-19 testing services should take separate permission from the ministry,

Likewise, the State 1 government has established 100-beaded COVID-19 special hospital in the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences. Similarly, COVID-19 test through PCR technique have been introduced in Rapti Academy of Health Sciences.

With this, the laboratories conducting sample test for COVID-19 through PCR technique have reached 16 in the country.