On the morning of March 13, many Indians, stuck at the Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi after coming back from Frankfurt and Paris, were repeatedly screaming ‘shoot us’.
According to an India Today report, airport authorities were not letting passengers arriving exit the airport before going under quarantine for at least 14 days. It is important to note that airport authorities were abiding by the rules set by the health ministry recently, making it mandatory for arrivals from China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, France, Spain, and Germany to go under quarantine for at least 14 days.
While support came from the health ministry, the incident threw light on just how panic has been created among certain sets of masses due to the pandemic and the travel restrictions. Many have said that given India’s healthcare system, the country needs to involve private sector players in research and testing to check the spread of coronavirus and Covid-19 in India.
Speaking to Inc42, CEO of healthtech startup Omnicuris Savitha Kuttan said that the number of COVID-19 testing kits available with the government can only test 30K people in a country of over 1.3 Bn individuals.
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Also, a BBC report said that so far the government has tested around 14,175 people till Thursday (March 18). The report also highlighted the fact that India has a low number of testing kits and that’s why it is testing only selective cases. So far, nearly 360 positive cases of coronavirus have been registered in India along with four deaths.
Overall, India is diagnosing around 10 people per million which is very less as compared to other countries battling this crisis. As of now, Slovakia is testing the highest number of citizens (around 447 people per million). Even Pakistan is testing 16 individuals per million, according to Reuters.
While the number of coronavirus cases is expected to spike massively in the weeks ahead, there is no clarity about how the government will increase coronavirus diagnostics and availability of testing kits in these tough times. In this situation, the government needs major support from private players.
Earlier, while the government seemed to be very not keen on the idea of involving private companies, it has now allowed private players to start diagnosing people. According to a TOI report, some private players, who had applied for a license for performing coronavirus diagnostic tests, were still stuck in red tape.
But with the recent decision, India looks to have a better chance of standing tall against the epidemic. As of now, the government is looking to allow private diagnostic companies to conduct Covid-19 tests but with certain limitations. The government has capped the price of this test at INR 4500. So far, Trivitron Healthcare and Switzerland-based Roche Diagnostics are allowed to provide the test kits to diagnostics centres in India.
One such startup which is trying to get the licence from the government is Delhi-based Redcliffe Life Sciences. Founder Dheeraj Jain told us that it already has facilities to conduct the diagnostic tests. “We are planning the ramp-up if we get all the permissions, manpower, and approved kits soon,” he added.
Source: Inc42
