Getting Covid test in Bihar? Now valid ID is a must! Nitish Kumar govt acts over data fudging reports

In an effort to guarantee the legitimacy of crucial data that Bihar’s health department uses to chart Covid graph, the state’s Health Department has asked all civil surgeons in charge of districts to ensure whoever takes an RT-PCR test under their jurisdiction submits a valid ID proof, a senior official informed IE.

This new move by the health department comes in response to the Indian Express report that said that the basic data protocol was bypassed in several primary health centres (PHC) in Bihar to meet the daily testing target. Large-scale fudging of mobile numbers, names and other dodgy entries, were tracked down.

A senior official informed that the health department now is ‘seriously considering’ linking Covid vaccination to Aadhaar and has asked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s consent over the same. As of now a valid ID card has been made mandatory for Covid testing.

The Bihar CM has earlier announced that action is being taken on the findings of glaring gaps in at least three PHC’s records and even suspended nine Health personnel, in Jamui district, where irregularities were detected.

The Bihar government has removed the testing targets last week over the investigation findings, bringing down the testing numbers drastically. A PHC staffer in Bhagalpur informed that with no pressure on meeting testing target they are now able to keep records of the test takers with valid ID card.

Anyone going for Covid test in Bihar has to furnish Aadhaar card or PAN card or voter ID card or any other relevant identity proof, says an unofficial advisory issued by senior officials. The advisory also asked PHC staffers to test on-demand only.

Infections in Bihar peaked in the middle of the last year with the return of over 20 lakh migrant workers. The state has so far recorded 2,61,568 positive cases and witnessed 1,521 deaths linked to Covid.