With dwindling testing kits, Sindh hits out at Centre over lack of help

Though Sindh govt has decided to import kits from UK, China, it needs cargo facilities from federal govt

KARACHI: The federal government has become a stumbling block in the process of importing COVID-19 testing kits, Sindh government officials complained on Friday.

The Sindh government is facing a severe shortage of testing kits and has decided to import them from the United Kingdom and China. However, sources in the provincial government said that federal government authorities are giving a 'lukewarm' response to the request.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Pakistan Peoples Party senator Sherry Rehman said that the federal government needs to be proactive about the medical crisis and not just make announcements.

"All the provinces need a huge ramping up of testing capacity, not next month but now. But all we are seeing is a constant series of press statements about what Sindh has been given," Rehman said, adding that officials in the Centre were not coordinating with the provinces in the time-sensitive matter of testing for the deadly contagion.

She further added that there was an imminent, immediate danger to Pakistan and the response to it had to be coordinated and fast.

"Without enough test kits, we will face a terrible crisis. Right now, no functional test kits have been provided to Sindh as per federal announcements," Rehman said in a tweet. "No cargo flights to pick up orders from export destinations. Federal [government], please coordinate import of kit with provinces."

Earlier on Thursday, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho told the media that hardly 6,000 testing kits were left with the Sindh government and private hospitals which, according to her, would be used up in the coming 12 days.

"The Sindh government has decided to import 200,000 kits, but it depends on the federal government's help to provide cargo facilities to obtain these kits," she said, adding that the province, with a population of over 50 million people, was suffering from a severe shortage of testing kits.

"In the present circumstances, there is one test kit for around 8,333 people," she added.

According to the health minister, the Sindh government presently has the capacity to conduct 2,000 tests daily, which will be boosted to 8,000 a day whenever the bulk of new testing kits are provided. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th, 2020.