STAFF REPORTER ISLAMABAD Initially, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan did not even test if the coronavirus testing kits imported from China were manufactured by certified companies or not, Federal Science Minister Fawad Chaudhry claimed on Friday. Talking to media he said the Sindh government’s claim that the testing kits provided by the NDMA were of sub-standard and lacked complete equipment. Chaudhry thinks the province’s complaint could be true while recalling his conversation with DRAP CEO Asim Rauf. ‘When I asked [the DRAP CEO] about the certification of the kits, he said he hadn’t checked that because the authority was never asked to do so,’ remarked Chaudhry. ‘However, in a recent meeting, I got to know that DRAP has now framed appropriate policies and regulations for importing the kits.’ When the outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in other countries, they began importing testing kits from China while Chinese companies that manufactured were unable to meet the huge demand and fell short, said the science minister. Hence, other companies that were not certified to produce medical kits and tools had to step in to fill the void, he added. This issue of testing kits was previously raised by Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab and on Friday was reiterated by Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah. Speaking on Naya Din, Shah said the medical experts working with him had confirmed that most of the testing kits given by the NDMA were giving only 30% to 35% accurate results. He remarked the situation regarding the virus’ detection has rung further alarms after some federal government officials said that the kits the Sindh government rejected were being used in Punjab’s medical facilities and were ‘just fine’. ‘You can imagine what could happen in Punjab if such kits are being used at medical facilities like PIMS,’ said Shah.
