The Tamil Nadu government on Monday announced returning 24,000 rapid test kits imported from China, hours after the Indian Council of Medical Research asked states to stop using the COVID-19 rapid antibody kits procured from two companies in the Asian country to be sent back to the suppliers.
The government and opposition DMK clashed over the pricing of the kits, with the latter demanding “transparency” while the ruling dispensation asserted that the procurement was done based on rates fixed by the Centre.
The ICMR, the country’s top health research body, had told states it “evaluated the kits of Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livson Diagnostics in field conditions. The results have shown wide variation in their sensitivity, despite the early promise of good performance for surveillance purpose”, it said.
There was no “expenditure incurred” by the state government, Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar said, adding all remaining orders were also being cancelled in line with the ICMR directive.
However, DMK President MK Stalin, who has been raising the pricing issue, questioned the rationale behind the “sky high” rate of the kits, purchased at Rs 600 per unit by the state government.
He recalled that the DMK had earlier too alleged the kits were procured at higher rates and said some private entities made a profit out of this.
Further, Chief Minister K Palaniswami should clarify whether the results of tests done using these kits were accurate, Mr Stalin demanded.
Hitting back at Mr Stalin, Vijaya Baskar said the kits were procured from companies enlisted by the ICMR at rates fixed by the Centre, which he said was Rs 600, excluding taxes.
During this time, Andhra Pradesh (Rs 730) and Kerala (Rs 699) paid more per kit and even ICMR did the same for its second procurement order, by buying them at Rs 795, but Tamil Nadu stuck to Rs 600, he said.
He said Tamil Nadu made an early start in its fight against COVID-19 by procuring the required medicines and medical equipment and that was the reason it has ensured a recovery rate of 56.8 per cent, the “highest” in the country.
