Rapid test kits unused as WHO does not recommend using them: DGDA

The drug administration directorate, on Monday, said it has not launched rapid test kits in the country as the World Health Organisation (WHO) does not recommend them.

Its Director General Major General Mahbubur Rahman told a press briefing, "reliable Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests are being conducted in 25 places across the country."

"The number will soon rise to 28," he said.

"We are not using rapid test kits but they might be needed in the future," said Mahbubur.

The briefing on Covid-19 testing kits was organised by the health media cell in the conference room of the health ministry.

Mahbubur said the WHO does not permit the use of rapid test kits in any country.

"This is why we did not accept the kit developed by Gonoshasthaya Kendra. We do not have a negative attitude towards it at all, and even tried to facilitate them," he said.

"When it will be used is a matter for later," he added.

The director general said the Gonoshasthaya Kendra kit should be trialled before a decision on whether it is good can be made.     

"We will take steps based on the Bangladesh Medical Research Council report. However, Gonoshasthaya Kendra undermined the drug administration directorate by presenting the matter in a way that was untrue," Mahbubur asserted. 

He said Gonoshasthaya Kendra would need to develop a specific protocol and follow a specific structured way.   

"And they know all of this," Mahbubur said. 

He said there is a shortage of RT-PCR test kits in the world, but not rapid test kits.

"Thousands of companies have developed rapid test kits. Eighteen firms even applied for our approval," he added.

Habibur Rahman Khan, additional secretary (administration) of the Health Services Division and convener of the media cell, told the briefing, "We do not want to put our people in trouble because rapid test kits are not being used anywhere in the world."      

"There is no shortage of RT-PCR test kits in the country and we have more than one lakh of them in stock. We are increasing our testing rate by using this kit as it is flawless," he added.