new delhi: People who want to get tested for Coronavirus have to wait or find other methods as most centres turn away the patients. "I went to get myself tested at a government centre at Dwarka but was told that no tests are happening here and that I might have to visit a hospital," said Neelam, who is suffering from running nose and sore throat from a week. She said that she has been traveling to work and wanted to get herself checked. The correspondent followed Neelam in her struggle to get tested. "At government hospitals, the lines are long and it is a very confusing process," she said, adding that she wants to avoid going to the hospital. While she was turned away from the clinic, the correspondent reached out to them who said that testing is not happening here. "We ourselves are not getting tested, how others will get tested here," she said. On contacting a few private hospitals for tests, Neelam was told that the cost of tests would range from Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000. "My father also got cold and so we thought if the whole family could get tested, it would be better, but at such an amount, no one would be ready. Nor do we have such money to spare," she added tensed as she tried to find help. On contacting the Delhi governments helpline number, she was made to wait after which the call automatically got cut. An official source working with the Delhi government said that testing has become a major issue due to the lack of availability of it. Meanwhile, as Neelam contacted a doctor at Ganga Ram Hospital she was told to quarantine herself and not get tested at the moment. "We are only taking serious patients, to others are recommending home isolation. Private tests are expensive and there is a chaos at government hospitals, so it is better a patient isolates themselves," said a doctor from Ganga Ram. Like Neelam many people have been struggling to get themselves tested, mostly due to the unavailability of tests or the cost by private hospitals. "These private players have come up with their own method of criteria for testing. They are making money, but not everyone can afford such tests. However, there is no control on these hospitals," said a Delhi government source.

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