The ICMR had ordered 5 lakh kits, of which 2.5 lakh were to be delivered this past week. However, they are yet to arrive.
Advertisement
Under the scanner over delay in procurement of testing kits for COVID-19, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in a major shift in policy, Monday issued a tender asking Central PSUs to engage as procurement agency for essential supplies related to coronavirus testing.
The crucial decision comes in the backdrop of the delay in implementing the rapid antibody tests in high-density clusters (containment zones). The ICMR had ordered 5 lakh kits, of which 2.5 lakh were to be delivered this past week — however, the testing kits are yet to arrive.
You have exhausted your monthly limit of free stories.
Read more stories for free with an Express account.
Following the successful South Korea model, serological tests were to be used to speed up the rate of detection of cases and isolation to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The delay is likely to affect the government’s plan of incremental testing to get a more accurate assessment of the status of transmission.
The ICMR has asked the interested PSUs to act as a procurement agency for essential supplies, which include: Viral RNA Extraction, RT-PCR Kits for COVID-19, Antibody IgM and IgG Rapid Test Kit for COVID-19 and the Viral Transport Medium. The research body has asked the interested central PSUs to submit their techno-commercial offers by April 16.
“Based on the technical specifications of different items…the bidder has to procure materials following the procurement procedure of its own organisation keeping in view the instructions of Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance and other such Government of India rules / guidelines on the subject from time-to-time,” the notice said.
The ICMR said that the procurement agency shall also make arrangements for redistribution of the testing materials and equipment stored at NIMR, Dwarka, New Delhi, and NIOP, New Delhi, to the Regional COVID-19 inventory depots of ICMR. “The bidder has to deploy about 5-6 officials at ICMR Headquarters for proper coordination while remaining staff can work from concerned PSU Headquarters,” the notice said.
“The agency shall make arrangements for receipt of supplied goods / equipments at FOB, New Delhi and storage at the COVID-19 inventory depots at NIMR, Dwarka, New Delhi and NIOP, Safdarjang, New Delhi,” the ICMR said.
Story continues below this ad
The council has asked the PSUs to submit four details before the bidding: Turnover of last 3 financial years, net Profit for last 3 financial years, regional spread of the organisation in different states / Union Territories of India and experience of handling similar work in the past.
Kaunain Sheriff M is an award-winning investigative journalist and the National Health Editor at The Indian Express. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, an investigation into one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies.
With over a decade of experience, Kaunain brings deep expertise in three areas of investigative journalism: law, health, and data. He currently leads The Indian Express newsroom’s in-depth coverage of health.
His work has earned some of the most prestigious honours in journalism, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Award, and the Mumbai Press Club’s Red Ink Award.
Kaunain has also collaborated on major global investigations. He was part of the Implant Files project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which exposed malpractices in the medical device industry across the world. He also contributed to an international investigation that uncovered how a Chinese big-data firm was monitoring thousands of prominent Indian individuals and institutions in real time.
Over the years, he has reported on several high-profile criminal trials, including the Hashimpura massacre, the 2G spectrum scam, and the coal block allocation case. Within The Indian Express, he has been honoured three times with the Indian Express Excellence Award for his investigations—on the anti-Sikh riots, the Vyapam exam scam, and the abuse of the National Security Act in Uttar Pradesh. ... Read More
