COVID-19: Diagnostics a priority for ‘Make in India’

The testing process may be rapid, but the kits have been ridiculously slow to arrive. States like Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Delhi and Tamil Nadu are ready to move to mass testing but have not been successful in procuring the required number of test kits. TN, for instance, wanted 4 lakh kits to begin mass testing. The first batch of 50,000 kits was expected to arrive by April 9.

More than a week later, it got less than half—just 24,000. According to a senior bureaucrat, though the state had placed an order from China much before the US, kits meant for it were allegedly diverted as the death rate in the US had reached alarming levels. The WHO’s executive director Dr Mike Ryan said India had not filed a complaint with the global body against America for jumping the queue. In the case of Chhattisgarh, unethical business practices put more lives at danger. The state’s Health Minister T S Singh Deo told the media they had floated tenders for 75,000 rapid test kits on April 12, but had to drop it later due to predatory pricing concerns.

Interestingly, none of the central or global bodies have been able to solve the issue. WHO made it clear it cannot do much to resolve the global shortage in testing kits. In India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also been unable to meet the demand. As not even 10% of the 45 lakh-odd kits ordered from China have arrived yet, many states have reached out to local private manufacturers. The ICMR has been slow in granting approvals to private companies. Initially, just two firms got approval, which was then extended to a few more. Here again, the hurdles are aplenty. Most of the raw materials needed have to come from abroad. Slowly but steadily, India is making progress in making its own kits.

With millions of poor people at risk in the country, and the international supply chain working against us, governments must consider diagnostics as a priority ‘Make in India’ sector. Given the right push, Indian test kits could replace Chinese ones in the global market.