Maharashtra orders private labs to stop sample collection

Mumbai: Private labs in Maharashtra have been asked to halt sample collections of possible Covid-19 individuals as the lack of testing kits in these labs could lead to a delay in testing and contact tracing. In a note sent to the 10 private labs in the state, additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani of Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) said it has found that certain private labs were collecting samples without enough stock of testing kits.

“We advise private labs to collect samples only in line with the available inventory at hand. Private labs had committed, at the commencement of their inclusion to the Covid-19 testing programme, that they will have enough kits ready for deployment. The current situation is in violation and [parties] are advised that this be rectified immediately,” said Kakani in a letter seen by ET.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) the total number of tests conducted in India on Monday by private labs was 1,334 tests. On Tuesday, out of 42,788 samples, only 399 samples were tested in private labs. This big dip in the number of tests is because of the lack of test kits. Maharashtra is one of the ‘hotspot’ states which reported a total number of 302 Covid-19 positive individuals as on March 31.

India allowed private labs to test last week to expand its testing capability. The country gave permission to 43 private labs to test for Covid-19. These labs have 16 thousand sample collection centres, but most have been finding it difficult to procure the testing kits. The only company that is supplying these test kits is MyLab, which has been struggling to keep up with the demand across the country, said an executive of a private lab chain who did not wish to be identified.

The other three companies who have got the licence to sell these kits are Altona Diagnostics, Seegene and Biosenser. However, due to global demand for these testing kits, their supply has been disrupted. The prices of these kits have also shot up. In Europe and USA the price quoted for these kits is $50; in India that price is roughly $20, which means our supplies get delayed, according to A Velumani, MD, Thyrocare, a private lab that has permission to do Covid-19 testing.

The ICMR, too, acknowledged that kits are difficult to obtain for private labs. “The availability of these kits continue to be a big issue,” Dr Gangakhedkar of ICMR said on Tuesday.

Companies are hoping that the supply might ease in coming days, but there is no concrete movement on that. Germany diagnostic company Altona’s kits have arrived in India, but is stuck in cargo, according to an executive of a lab doing Covid-19 tests.

Several private labs had claimed that they would be giving out results in 24 hours. However, that may not be possible. In Mumbai, the district with the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases, the testing load on Kasturba hospital has doubled.