Are laboratories giving false COVID-19 reports?

Nayan Kadam (in cap), Avinash Abhyankar with Nikhil Pawar (far right) and a woman whose report was allegedly falsified

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Friday claimed that a few laboratories are falsifying reports of COVID-19 tests and declaring people positive, for the benefit of contractors and private hospitals engaged in COVID-19 work.

MNS leaders Avinash Abhyankar and Nayan Kadam held a press conference on Friday and came with the people who got COVID-19 positive reports by laboratories, which on being questioned by the families, claimed there was an error.

Nikhil Pawar, who was at the press conference, told mid-day that after a neighbour tested positive, the BMC sent people for antigen testing of his mother on August 18. He said they were told the test result was negative.

"But, when we received the hard copy of the report the next day, we saw someone had scribbled over the 'Negative' remark and wrote 'Positive' below," Pawar, a Borivli resident, said.

"When BMC officials came to take my mother, we refused to send her unless they told us who informed them my mother had tested positive. The officials left and later we got a call saying the report was negative and she doesn't need to go to a hospital," the 26-year-old said.

'Negative' remark on COVID-19 report of Nikhil Pawar's mother was scribbled

One of his neighbours, too, had a similar experience, and they suspected something fishy was going on. Pawar then approached the local MNS leaders, who have demanded an enquiry into the incidents.

MNS general secretary Kadam said the party would have organised an agitation on the streets on any other day. "But, we understand the administration [BMC or police] are busy bailing out citizens from the pandemic crisis. Hence, our party decided not to add burden on police and other government agencies."

He, however, stressed that the MNS would not remain a mute spectator. "We believe that this is deliberately being done to ensure that the contractors and hospitals engaged in COVID business get patients. We have come across two such cases. If detailed enquiry is done, I am sure many more such cases will come to the fore. The administration should investigate and take appropriate action against the erring people."

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