New Delhi,Apr 16:India on Thursday received 650,000 testing kits from
China even as efforts were ramped up to obtain personal protective
equipment (PPE) and medical supplies from countries such as South Korea,
France and Canada, people familiar with developments said.
The supplies from China were dispatched on two cargo flights against the
backdrop of concerns about some earlier consignments from Chinese firms
failing to clear quality tests in India. The people cited above, speaking on
condition of anonymity, said steps are being taken to source goods only from
companies that fulfil the requirements for exports from China.
The Indian embassy in Beijing tweeted that “it is important to ensure product
quality as well as reasonable and stable prices”. It called on China’s National
Medical Products Administration to expedite registration of Chinese firms,
especially those with export orders and already licenced by Indian regulatory
bodies.
Thursday’s consignment was part of 1.5 million testing kits to be procured
from Chinese firms over the next two weeks.
The external affairs ministry has been coordinating the government’s efforts
to acquire vital supplies from other countries, including identifying suppliers,
obtaining quotations, and coordinating with clearing agents, airlines and local
authorities to ensure timely deliveries, the people said.
“As part of these efforts, the first lot of 300,000 rapid antibody testing kits
from Guangzhou Wondfo and another 250,000 from Zhuhai Livzon, and
100,000 RNA extraction kits from MGI Shenzhen were cleared by customs
late on Wednesday night,” said one of the people cited above.
“Our missions are closely coordinating with concerned agencies for the
supply of PPE kits. A large consignment is expected shortly,” a second
person said.The external affairs ministry is also working to obtain testing kits
from South Korea. “Firm quotations have been obtained from companies in
Canada, France, Malaysia, the UK and the US. We have also obtained leads
from companies in Germany and Japan,” the second person added.
The people said the Indian missions are facing several challenges in acquiring
medical supplies, including a general shortage in other countries and local
regulations. For instance, they said, the embassy in Beijing and the consulate
in Guongzhou had to make special efforts with Chinese authorities for
customs clearance and clearances for non-scheduled flights that transported
the 650,000 testing kits.“But now supplies of vital items required for our
Covid-19 response are well underway,” the second person said.
On Tuesday, India’s ambassador to China, Vikram Misri, told reporters that
facilitating India’s imports of Covid-19-related critical medical equipment
and keeping the drug production supply chain open would be the “best”
signal from China for bilateral ties.Chinese companies have been contracted
for nearly 15 million PPE kits and 1.5 million rapid testing kits by the Indian
government and private firms.
However, several countries have criticised the quality of critical equipment
made in China in recent weeks. In late March, the Netherlands, Spain, the
Czech Republic and Turkey reported medical supplies from China had failed
quality tests.China then hurriedly moved to ensure the quality of medical
exports. China’s commerce ministry, the customs authority, and the National
Medical Products Administration issued new regulations on March 31,
directing manufacturers to provide a declaration that their goods meet the
quality-control standards of export destinations.(Agencies)
