Unverified coronavirus testing kits putting lives in jeopardy, warns Chaudhry

• If the test will make an unhealthy patient appear healthy, it will put many lives at risk, says Fawad.

Federal Minister for Science and Technology on Tuesday warned authorities that the markets are being flooded with unverified coronavirus testing kits, which is putting lives of many at risk.

“I want to give a warning to the provincial governments and the NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority), that unverified testing kits for the coronavirus are being flooded,” said Chaudhry in a tweet post.

“If the test will make an unhealthy patient appear healthy, it will put many lives at risk,” he said. Chaudhry urged the authorities that until the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) confirms its kits of Pakistan, one should import only certified kits.

????? ??????? ??? NDMA ?? ?????? ???? ????? ????????? ????? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????? ??? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ???????????? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ?? DRAP ??????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ????? ???? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??? ???

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) March 31, 2020

Just a day ago, the federal minister said that the locally manufactured ventilators and testing kits would hit the market in the coming days. Talking to local media, Chaudhry said that the coronavirus testing kits developed by Pakistan's National University of Science and Technology (NUST) have been handed to the DRAP for final approval.

Similarly, the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has developed ventilators, in collaboration with NED and Pakistan Engineering Board, which will be handed over to DRAP this week.

The number of coronavirus related cases has reached over 1,700 in Pakistan, with 76 persons reported to have recovered from the virus and 21 fatalities recorded to date.