SpiceHealth has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Uttarakhand to conduct Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and Rapid Antigen tests for pilgrims visiting the State for the Kumbh Mela festival.
The Kumbh Mela is one of the world’s largest religious gatherings.
SpiceHealth’s mobile lab, accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has been set-up in Haridwar. In addition to the mobile lab, SpiceHealth has also set up testing facilities at five locations on the State border where pilgrims visiting Uttarakhand for Kumbh will undergo rapid antigen tests. The testing facilities will be functional from February 26, 2021.
On November 23, 2020, SpiceHealth, a healthcare company founded by the promoters of SpiceJet and led by Avani Singh, had launched its first mobile testing facility at ICMR, AIIMS, Delhi, which was inaugurated by Sh. Amit Shah, Hon’ble Union Home Minister and Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Hon’ble Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare.
Avani Singh, CEO, SpiceHealth said, “The Kumbh Mela is one of the world’s largest religious congregations with millions of pilgrims entering the state borders every day. Ensuring the safety of the attendees of the mela is of utmost importance, and we at SpiceHealth are proud to assist the Uttarakhand Government in testing and serving those travelling to the holy city of Haridwar. We are fully committed to providing a quick, seamless and smooth testing experience through our multiple testing facilities in the State.”
In view of the current pandemic, authorities at the Kumbh Mela have introduced strict guidelines and made passes mandatory for all pilgrims. Passes will be issued only after the submission of a negative RT-PCR test report, medical certificate and identification proof.
Billed as the largest gathering of humanity on earth, the Kumbh Mela attracts millions of devotees from across the globe. The religious festival is celebrated in a cycle of four times over the course of 12 years, with the site of the observance rotating between four river-bank pilgrimage sites of — Haridwar on the Ganges River, Ujjain on the Shipra, at Nashik on the Godavari, and at Prayagraj at the confluence of the Ganges, the Jamuna, and the legendary Saraswati.
In November 2020, when Covid-19 was at an all-time high in India, SpiceHealth disrupted the RT-PCR testing space by offering tests in mobile laboratories at Rs. 499, as opposed to the then existing rate of Rs. 2400 in Delhi. In another path-breaking initiative, test results were made available within six hours as compared to the existing 24-48 hour time frame.
SpiceHealth was also the first to introduce the innovative concept of mobile testing laboratories that could be placed in remote areas, in containment zones, in villages where access to hospitals and medical facilities was and remains a challenge.
SpiceHealth has conducted close to a million RT-PCR tests in the short period since its launch, helping bring down Covid-19 testing cost dramatically across the country. The mobile laboratories ensured scalability and the low price ensured affordability.
The Company has scaled up its operations considerably and is now operating multiple mobile testing laboratories in Delhi NCR, Haryana, Maharashtra and Haridwar.
In January 2021, SpiceHealth launched a first-of-its-kind genome sequencing laboratory at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport to help in identifying and containing the new mutant variants of Covid-19 virus unwittingly carried by passengers travelling from other countries.
Earlier, SpiceHealth had also launched SpiceOxy – a compact, portable, non-invasive ventilation device, which is an effective solution for patients with mild to moderate breathing issues and had also introduced fingertip pulse oximeter, a handy device making it easier for people to measure the oxygen level of the blood.
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