August 7, 2020 - The private clinic Marin Med from Kotor is organizing PCR testing for the new coronavirus, it was recently announced on their website. Upon further inspection of the site, it is clear that their sister clinic of the same name from Dubrovnik has been organizing a "drive-in" PCR test for COVID-19 at the Karasovići border crossing since mid-July.
Marin Med also states that swabs are taken on weekdays and Sundays from 7.30 pm, and that this test costs 350 euros, with the results being ready in 24 to 48 hours. For urgent cases, the test can be completed in a maximum of 26 hours, with the price increasing to 400 euros. They also note that testing must be paid for in advance.
"When it comes to PCR testing for the new coronavirus, Marin Med Montenegro does not carry out sampling or testing for COVID-19. We exclusively schedule tests and deliver results via email to people who request PCR testing through us. Sampling and testing is carried out by the Marin Med polyclinic from Dubrovnik, and for this, the Teaching Institute for Public Health of the Split-Dalmatia County is used," writes Vijesti.
According to the Central Register of Business Entities (CRPS), Marin Med was founded with a 40 percent stake in Prime Consult, 100 percent owned by Vladimir Perunovic, and a partner of Milo Djukanovic's son in Kodio, a company registered to provide services in the field of information technology.
PCR testing for the new coronavirus in Montenegro is performed only in the laboratories of the Institute of Public Health (IPH)
Earlier, plans were announced for the establishment of a PCR laboratory in the Clinical Center of Montenegro. Two days ago, the Director of the Internal Clinic, Sreten Kavarić, said that the laboratory could not start working before the end of September, which is the earliest deadline for a PCR testing machine to arrive in Montenegro.
"The problem is not money, but the many permits required and how the machine can be transferred to Montenegro," he said.
On the same day, the Assistant Director of the Institute of Public Health, Senad Begic, appealed to private laboratories to help the IPH and the public health response to the coronavirus epidemic.
"Currently, as in the last few weeks, the IPH laboratory is relying on contact searches, which means that we have a whole range of population categories, especially passengers in international traffic, who unfortunately cannot receive the service."
Private health institutions, he said, can help the IPH and state laboratories relieve pressure in many ways.
It is possible to carry out serological testing in several laboratories across the country. As the IPH explained earlier, this only reveals the existence of antibodies to the new coronavirus.
In the first half of July, 2,000 samples from the IPH were sent for PCR processing to a laboratory in Germany.
Source: Vijesti
