Procured RT-PCR test kits at a lower price: Warehousing Society

The Karnataka State Drugs, Logistics and Warehousing Society on Saturday defended the procurement of RT-PCR kits and maintained that their cost was lower than Telangana and Odisha.

On Friday, DH had reported that KSDLWS had clubbed the procurement of both RT-PCR kits and RNA extraction kits, leaving little clarity on the price of each kit.

According to a clarification issued by KSDLWS director N Manjushree, while the procurement cost of Odisha State Medical Corporation of RT-PCR and RNA extraction kits combined was Rs 1,300 per unit, Telangana had purchased these kits at Rs 1,344 per unit. Attaching a comparative chart of procurement by Karnataka, Odisha and Telangana, Manjushree said that Karnataka had procured them for Rs 63 lakh and Rs 78.4 lakh less than Odisha and Telangana, respectively.

Odisha had procured RT-PCR kits and RNA extraction kits separately, with RNA extraction kit from a Hyderabad-based firm costing Rs 200 per unit. Gujarat had procured RNA extraction kits at Rs 179 per unit.

"The procurement was done on the basis of indent received from various labs across the state through MD, National Health Mission. KSDLWS has not clubbed the purchase of RT-PCR kits and RNA extraction kits at its end, but the demand of kits with RNA extraction kit was raised and as such procurement was done," Manjushree said.