Doti, June 7
Members of the Provincial Assembly in Sudurpaschim have demanded that the federal government stop rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) for coronavirus citing the method’s low reliability.
Speaking in the assembly meeting on Sunday, the ruling Nepal Communist Party lawmaker Dirgha Sodari said those who were sent to homes from quarantine camps on the basis of RDT results could spread the coronavirus in the communities. Instead of relying on the RDT results, the government should expand the range of PCR tests, and the capacity of test lands for this.
He also criticised the government for failing to establish coronavirus test labs in Baitadi and Doti as promised around three months ago.
Likewise, NCP leader Purnaa Joshi said the relevance of RDT could not be established in the current situation.
Nepali Congress lawmaker Bharat Bahadur Khadka stated many European countries stopped using RDT kits, and it was sad that Nepal was still adopting the method.
