VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday praised senior officials of the health department for taking the initiative and buying 1 lakh Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kits at a cost less than what the Central government quoted.
During a review meeting, he said the officials made an honest attempt to buy the much-needed kits and at the same time ensured it did not put much of an additional burden on the state.“The state urgently needs testing kits and the Centre is in no position to supply them. As advised by the Centre to buy kits from wherever possible, our officials placed an order with the same firm from which the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) had ordered. The ICMR quoted Rs 795 per kit and AP quoted Rs 65 less.
Further, it was mentioned that if any other state buys them for a lower price, Andhra Pradesh would follow suit,” he explained.Heaping praise on the state officials for procuring the RDT kits without any delay or compromise, Jagan said they did this under tremendous pressure and without leaving room for corruption.
“When we placed the orders, the kits were being manufactured outside the country. Now, they are being made in the country with the ICMR’s permission, which will bring down the price. As per our agreement, the prices will decrease further,” he said.
Thanking Jagan for his appreciation, the officials said what they did was due to the freedom he gave them. So far, the government has paid only 25 per cent of the order value. The Andhra Pradesh Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APMSIDC) had ordered two lakh RDT antibody testing kits on April 7 for Rs 730 per kit (excluding GST). On April 17, one lakh RDT antibody kits reached the state from South Korea. ICMR too placed an order for RDT kits from another firm at Rs 795 per kit.
A few days ago, the Chhattisgarh government said it bought 75,000 RDT kits for Rs 337 (excluding GST) from the same South Korean firm. AP bought kits from SD Biosensor Inc through its authorised seller in India, Sandor Medicaids Pvt Ltd. Deputy CM and Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas pointed at the purchase order, which states, “If any instance comes to the notice of the above that medical items are supplied at a lower price than quoted now, then the differential amount will be recovered.”
A letter was written by APMSIDC to Sandor Medicaids Pvt Ltd, citing the case of Chhattisgarh, and requested the firm to explain why it quoted less than it did for other governments. The corporation clarified Rs 337 (excluding GST) would be paid as per the conditions in the order.