Orders placed to import RAT kits: Health Ministry responds to claims

While saying that there is no acute shortage of Rapid Antigen Tests kits at present, COVID-19 Coordinator Dr. Anwar Hamdani said orders have been placed to import more RAT kits from countries like India and Japan.

Dr. Hamdani this in response to claims made by several parties including PHIs that Sri Lanka is facing a shortage of RAT kits.

“We are using RAT kits in a scientific manner as we are not a developed country. We should manage the existing stocks well. As such, we do RATs when only there is a need to do so,” he added.

“There is no necessity to randomly test people until unless they fall into symptomatic category. This is the strategy which we are following at the moment and the strategy followed by the Western and developed countries,” he underscored.

“However, after identifying and forecasting the future need, we have ordered relevant stocks out of which several shipments have already arrived while some are yet to arrive,” he said.

Thus, Dr Hamdani said the situation could be tackled in an effective manner as they had already taken relevant measures to prevent a possible shortage of RAT kits. 

A total of 4,296, 6,213, 5,210 RATs have been carried out island-wide on January 30, 31 and February 01. (Sheain Fernandopulle)