Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK) Founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury on Tuesday alleged that the government did not approve the coronavirus antibody and antigen test kits developed by their organization due to a “business motive.”
“It is a government of businessmen. So, even though our antibody and antigen kits are ready, the government has not approved those. Now they have allowed the import of those with a business purpose,” he said.
Zafrullah, also a freedom fighter, made the remarks while speaking at a program at Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in the city’s Dhanmondi area.
He said GK will no longer apply to the government seeking approval of its kits. “But if the government approves our kits on its own, we will provide it with our kits.”
Zafrullah said the government is still pursuing a “wrong” policy to contain the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far killed over 5,000 people around the country.
He said: “They did not approve the corona vaccine trial in time. Gonoshasthaya Kendra suffered a loss of Tk10 crore by developing the corona kits as the government did not approve those. They have now approved the import of the kits from abroad. Such a decision has been made as the current regime is pro-businessmen one.”
Criticising the government for what he said was its failure to “restore discipline” in the health sector, Zafrullah said the country's health system will improve only if a democratic government is established through a mid-term impartial election.
He said the government should provide all-out support to health workers, including doctors and nurses, while they are tackling a health disaster risking their lives as frontline fighters.
“Those who [doctors and nurses] sacrificed their lives in dealing with corona patients should be given the honour as national heroes and the nation must remember them,” he added.
At the program, the health workers of Gonoshasthaya Kendra honoured the frontline fighters by clapping for a minute. A similar program was held at the 30 centres of the GK across the country.
On May 13, GK had submitted the samples of GR Covid-19 Rapid Dot Blot antigen and antibody kits to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) authorities for a performance trial.
The BSMMU conducted the trial of the antibody kit and found it not fully effective to detect the novel coronavirus patients.
Following the BSMMU’s report, the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) denied to approve the GK kit.