By Ajith Siriwardana   

About thirteen Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests conducted by laboratories other than the laboratories of the Health Ministry so far, had been found to be erroneous, the Association of Government Medical Laboratory Technologists said yesterday. 

Association Chairman Ravi Kumudesh said that eight PCR tests conducted by the laboratory at Sri Jayawardenepura University, four reports by the Colombo University and one from the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) were among those found to be erroneous.   

He said a special grade nurse of the Colombo National Hospital, an individual from Salamulla in Kolonnawa, another from Bandaranayakepura in Rajagiriya and a woman from Modera were recently tested positive for Covid-19 due to erroneous reports. However, subsequent tests reported negative.   

He said that the first samples of the patients were sent to the labs coming under the Ministry of Higher Education, despite the fact that several previous PCR reports done at these labs were found to be erroneous.   “It could be an act of sabotage and it should be investigated,” he said.   

He said this situation would deteriorate the confidence people had on PCR tests and laboratory technologists.   “No report issued by the Health Ministry laboratories had been erroneous so far service,” he said.