E-Health platform Medlife on Tuesday said it has partnered with accredited labs to launch at-home testings for COVID-19 in select cities and plans to expand it going forward.

The price of a test is set at Rs 4,500 and will be conducted by labs authorised by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Medlife said in a statement.

It added that the tests will be conducted using real-time PCR methodology. Currently, the COVID-19 testing service is available in Mumbai, Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad, it added.

Gurugram and Pune will be added shortly, the company said. Medlife has also launched its e-consultation services and has empanelled 1,500 doctors across India for the same, the statement said.

"We are partnering with ICMR-authorised labs to aid in the rapid scaling up of COVID-19 testing in India, an essential measure to check the spread of the virus in the country," Medlife co-founder and CEO Ananth Narayanan said. As the company plays its part in the nation's fight against the pandemic, it is determined to ensure that regular and chronic patients continue to receive quality healthcare services, he added.

"The launch of our e-consultation service is aimed at encouraging vulnerable and at-risk patients, especially ones with chronic diseases, to direct their concerns to our highly-trained doctors from the safety and comfort of their homes", Narayanan said.

The labs with which the company has partnered are accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), a constituent board of the Quality Council of India.