THE South African government says it turned down an offer of one million free HIV test kits because, among other reasons, the tests could create confusion among health personnel trained in another method of HIV testing.
The US drug company Guardian Scientific Africa Incorporated was reportedly stunned that the government had rejected its offer of kits worth more than R50m.
The kits – which can diagnose HIV infection within five minutes from a drop of blood – are the latest weapon in the fight against HIV/Aids, which infects some 4.2 million people in South Africa.
Health department representative Jo-Anne Collinge said: “It would be difficult and potentially confusing to introduce a second method at this early stage.? She said the kits purchased on tender could be stored at room temperature but those offered on donation required refrigeration and could become “unreliable or useless” if kept in clinics without cold storage.
Two multinationals, Abbott Diagnostics and World Diagnostics, have already won a multi-million rand tender to provide 200 000 kits a year for HIV testing, and their kits are administered differently to those being offered free of charge.
?It’s hard to understand why they would buy them from one company and not accept them from us for free,” the Sunday Times quoted Guardian Scientific Africa director Madeline Wasserman as saying.
She told the paper that her company’s offer had already been accepted by 11 other African countries including Botswana, which has the highest HIV infection rate in the world.
Another reason cited for government’s decision was that the donation could have a negative impact on tendering procedures.
“The regulatory framework for the public service effectively prohibits any donation that could compromise – or be perceived to compromise – fair and impartial tendering for goods and services,” Collinge said.
The department’s refusal of the offer was not “a blanket refusal of private-sector contributions,” Collinge said. – AFP
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