The Ministry of Public Health has made the right move with its policy of providing 8.5 million free Covid antigen self-testing kits to the public. The kits offer some hope for efforts to contain the pandemic. They will enable early detection and timely treatment -- keys to reducing serious illness while protecting the healthcare system from collapsing.
But despite such heightened hopes, the procurement of the test kits has been a concern. The problem is the reliability of the test kits that the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) will purchase from the winning bidder, Lepu Medical Technology.
It was found this week that test kits from Lepu Medical Technology had been rejected by the US Food and Drugs Administration earlier this year. Despite this, the GPO appears adamant about signing the contract.
Sirinuch Cheewanpisalnukul, deputy managing director of GPO, defended Lepu Medical Technology, saying the company is lawfully listed and accepted by the Thailand Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Lepu Medical Technology also adhered to all bidding regulations and the GPO awarded it the contract because it offered the lowest quote -- around 70 baht per set compared to the highest figure of 120 baht. Lepu Medical Technology also pledged to supply test kits faster than its competitors.
But the credibility of these test kits is in doubt. The Rural Doctors Society has launched a campaign pressuring the GPO to scrap the deal while vowing not to use test kits from this supplier.
The group sent a petition to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday asking for his help to solve the matter, and ensure the country procures only "reliable" antigen test kits.
It is a relief that the Ministry of Public Health gave a timely response by deciding to halt the process with the supplier yesterday while it investigates the bidding.
The government cannot take this issue lightly. The antigen self-test kits are strategic medical equipment needed for the suppression of Covid and they need to be highly reliable.
This dubious procurement has again reflected the lack of transparency and rigidity of the nation's bureaucracy. It's not the first time the public has been let down by an inflexible bureaucracy that many say has undermined the country's vaccine policy.
The procurement of vaccines was glacial in pace, with officials following numerous rules while disregarding the urgency of the crisis. With Covid tests, patients earlier needed to have two tests done: firstly with an antigen test and then the more precise RT-PCR at hospitals. This cost time, and money, and even led to more transmissions.
The question now is how can the Ministry of Public Health improve the situation? The public expects the ministry to open a new bid that is transparent while providing reliable Covid self-test kits. The government should also collaborate with the Ministry of Commerce to regulate the price of kits sold over the counter so people can afford them.
Another issue the Ministry of Public Health fails to mention is the problem of infectious waste from the use of self-test kits. With people beginning to test for Covid-19 at home these kits will become infectious waste.
The ensuing problem will be what to do this infectious waste. Without professional disposal methods, the garbage from these kits could cause further transmission. The government needs to look at the whole life span of these test kits -- from reliable bidding to safety waste disposal.
