"Defective Kits": Mamata Banerjee On Bengal's Low COVID-19 Testing

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has blamed the Indian Council for Medical Research or ICMR, the nodal body for COVID-19 testing, for the low testing numbers in her state. She said the state initially wasn't given testing kits and then it was supplied faulty kits, which Ms Mamata said have now been withdrawn.

"See, rapid test kits, whatever they sent, they withdrew. Why? Advisory to withdraw. Whatever they gave, totally withdrawn. Because defective. Whose fault is that?" Ms Banerjee told reporters on Wednesday.

"The rapid test kits have been withdrawn. They were totally faulty. The BGI RT-PCR its were also withdrawn. Two types of kits gone. The third are antigen kits that are yet to be given to hospitals in Bengal. Then what are we left with? Who will answer?" Ms Banerjee said.

In the last 10 days and before that too, the Bengal government was criticised by multiple agencies, including the opposition parties, for low testing numbers. Till Wednesday, Bengal had tested 7,034 people for COVID-19.

"Ask those who were lying about how we allegedly did not test enough. We have a health hazard on our hands because of this (faulty kits). We are not responsible. Testing ought to be timely or patients will die. Whose fault is that? Who is responsible for this situation?" Ms Banerjee said.

Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee and the state Health Department took the issue to social media.

ICMR sends us faulty kits, recommends not to use remaining kits & your minions claim IMCTs are not getting enough support.
With no ICMR supplied kits for testing in WB, what are IMCTs doing?
Is a media spectacle worth more than the lives of people from Bengal?#BengaliLivesMatter https://t.co/nOXczMoUMC

— Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) April 22, 2020

Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha said the state had separately ordered 14,000 kits, which is why it could conduct the COVID-19 tests till now. The ICMR had given the state 10,000 rapid antigen test kits. The state used 220 before the ICMR paused the use of the kits for two days.

"It was a complete waste of time and resources for health workers," Mr Sinha said.

According to the figures shared by the government, Bengal has 300 COVID-19 cases.

Scientists at ICMR's nodal Kolkata unit, NICED, refused to be dragged into the argument as they said the issue was being politicised.

State BJP chief and MP Dilip Ghosh said, "First they said no test kits were supplied, then they say faulty test kits were sent. The state just does not want to test and is finding excuses. The same kits have been shared with other states as well."