The Indian Council of Medical Research (“ICMR”), in a Letter to all the State Governments dated 3rd July, 2020, stated that all private laboratories in the State who intend to initiate TrueNat/CBNAAT based testing for COVID-19 should be encouraged to immediately apply for National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (“NABL”) accreditation.
This Letter has been put up by the Government of Karnataka on its website for information.
In the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis, NABL has established expedited approval mechanisms with fast-track approvals being granted within 7 days. However, the need to augment testing for COVID-19 in the current situation is necessary. ICMR is committed to support all the States in ramping up testing.
It was conveyed to the State Governments by ICMR that all private laboratories who intend to initiate TrueNat/CBNAAT based testing for COVID-19 should be encouraged to immediately apply for NABL accreditation. All the labs who have applied can reach out to ICMR (at aggarwal.n@icmr.gov.in), with a copy of their NABL application. The ICMR will provide expedited approval for TrueNat/CBNAAT, subject to NABL approval, which can be submitted within a maximum time span of four weeks from the date of approval.
ICMR had also conveyed in the letter that it has included a mandatory criterion for obtaining NABL accreditation for all COVID-19 testing private laboratories including those with TrueNat/CBNAAT platform. This is primarily to ensure high quality testing and ensure correct interpretation of test results. Many of the labs are doing this test for the first time and hence it is prudent to comply with NABL norms and obtain accreditation of private labs. This will also help in improving the overall quality of private labs in the States.
Source: Government of Karnataka
