Coronavirus: Kit shortage hampering testing
Although the government is wanting to enhance testing facilities amid the growing cases of coronavirus, specialists said the shortage of kit supply is continuing to hamper the efforts.
They said the daily sample collection and corona tests are still inadequate despite significant upsurge in the quantity of RT-PCR laboratories. There is also a lack of qualified and necessary medical technologists and logistics, information UNB.
Coronavirus testing remained stopped in several labs although some laboratories are actually forced to limit the testing because of kit and manpower crisis, leading to backlogs in testing.
The amount of laboratories has been extended to 67, but only 15,157 samples were tested across the country on Friday while nine labs didn't perform any test.
Nevertheless, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) claimed they possess sufficient kits plus they are trying to increase the stock by detatching complexities in importing these devices.
An official at the Health Ministry said the import of coronavirus testing kits has got been disrupted during the last 10 days for shortage of cash.
He said the Financing Ministry is not releasing required funds from the fund assigned to fight the coronavirus circumstances, positioning the Central Medical Stores Depot (CMSD) in big trouble to crystal clear the overdue bills of the importers.
"Some organizations provided kits in a number of phases, however the CMSD couldn't provide them hardly any money. So, virtually all firms have halted importing kits and place innovative orders for insufficient money," the official said.
He said around 8,00,000 testing kits were imported within the last three weeks, however the stock is exhausting quickly. "So, labs had been asked to slow down the tests while way to obtain kits for a few labs remained suspended."
The official said medical ministry and DGHS are working to resolve the challenge and make a standard operating procedure and enhance kit stock in July.
Contacted, Prof Dr Nasima Sultana, additional director standard of the DGHS, said there is absolutely no shortage of kits and they are featuring the laboratories with the mandatory number of kits.
Asked the real reason for the suspension of testing at nine laboratories on Friday, she said this not for insufficient kit supply, but for some other reasons.
As her attention was drawn to the fund crisis over procuring kits, she stated they have continuing the procedure to import more kits and improve the stock. "The difficulties over importing packages will be over at the end of the existing month and we’ll retailer sufficient packages in the arriving month."
Prof Dr Sultana Shahana Banu, head of the virology department of the Dhaka Medical College (DMC), said you will find a shortage of kit in the united states like other countries in the world.
"We've been using from the very beginning the testing kit of Sansure Biotech, imported from China. However the inventory of the kits gets depleted due to issue in supply chain. Now many laboratories are being offered European system. At DMCH we’re even now using the Sansure system," she said.
She said Sansure kits are incredibly simple and less frustrating for performing coronavirus exams and medical technologists have become used to using the kit. "It takes enough time to conduct checks with the European kits compared to the Sansure ones. Thus, the testing level is meant to fall when the European kits will get to the laboratories."
As the government is trying to improve the testing capacity, the virologist said sufficient kits stock ought to be ensured. "We must diversify our system import sources to keep carefully the testing activities unhindered."
Prof Shahana said the laboratories designated for the coronavirus lab tests are facing concerns at every step -- from collecting samples to testing -- due to shortage of satisfactory and skilled manpower and relevant logistics.
"We've to collect more samples than we are able to test every evening to handle the pressure of patients. To start with, we don’t have sufficient manpower to smoothly accumulate these samples. Secondly, we have to store the collected samples in -80 degrees Celsius. But we don't have such a advanced refrigerator for effectively preserving the samples. That is why the caliber of samples can degrade occasionally that may affect the benefits of tests."
Former World Wellbeing Organisation (Who exactly) Regional Advisor Muzaherul Huq said kit shortage has been created as a result of mismanagement and poor planning of the DGHS.
"The DGHS must have an idea for ensuring good inventory of the kits based on projection. They must have a method about how precisely many tests they'll conduct in the coming weeks. According to the plan, they will have to procure products and stock those," he observed.
Medical expert said the united states should not rely upon any particular country for the import of the kits. "We ought to have multiple sources for procuring the kits. Apart from China, Vietnam and South Korea could be good sources for the system import."
Muzaherul Huq said the federal government should expand the corona assessment facilities to all or any the districts at the earliest opportunity to remove the virus. "Antibody testing also needs to be introduced to learn the real corona circumstances in the united states."
