India cancels orders for Chinese COVID test kits

PTI

New Delhi

The Indian Council of Medical Research on Monday asked the states to stop using COVID-19 rapid testing kits procured from China due to their poor quality even as the government said not a single rupee will be lost in cancelling the orders as payments were not made to the Chinese suppliers.

 India procured around five lakh rapid antibody test kits from the two Chinese firms, Guongzhou Wondfo Biotech and Livzon Diagnostics, and they were distributed to several states reporting rising cases of the coronavirus infection.

“Based on scientific assessment of their performance, the order in question (Wondfo) along with order in respect of another make found under-performing has  been cancelled,” the government said.

In a communication to Chief Secretaries of all states and Union territories, the ICMR asked them to stop using the kits saying it found “wide variation” in effectiveness of the equipment supplied by the two Chinese firms despite promise of good performance.

“The ICMR has not made any payment in respect of these supplies. Because of the due process followed (not going for procurement with 100 per cent advance amount), government of India does not stand to lose a single rupee,” the health ministry said, in the midst of a raging controversy over the procurement.

Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that some people were indulging in profiteering while supplying rapid test kits for COVID-19 to the government and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi take strict action against them.

In a fact sheet on the issue, the government said it had conducted a tender process to procure the kits and the evaluation committee received four bids of Rs 1,204, Rs 1,200, Rs 844 and Rs 600. Accordingly, bid offer of Rs 600 was considered as it was the lowest.

The government said the procurement was undertaken when there was a huge demand for the test kits globally and various countries were applying their “full might”, monetary and diplomatic, to acquire them.