HC issues notice to Centre on faulty HIV test kits

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HC issues notice to Centre on faulty HIV test kits

26 Aug, 2007, 0830 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has sought responses from the Centre

and the National Aids Control Organisation on a PIL alleging that

lakhs of rupees were given to a private company for supplying sub-

standard kits for rapid test of HIV/AIDS.

A bench comprising Justices T S Thakur and Kailash Gambhir also

issued notices to the Drug Controller General of India and Span

Diagnostics, a Surat-based company which supplied the kits. The PIL,

filed by the NGO 'Adhikar', alleged " the rapid test kits supplied by

the company were of sub-standard quality and they did not have the

quality to determine whether a person is HIV positive or negative. "

The NGO also sought an inquiry into the case. " An investigation needs

to be done to know how a sub-standard product to test HIV virus was

purchased and to fix the responsibility and punish the persons

responsible for it, " the advocate appearing for the NGO, Arvind

Nigam, contended.

The Centre had placed an order for 63 lakh AIDS rapid test kits for

government hospitals. " These kits produced negative results and the

state government informed the centre about the faulty kits but no

action has been taken so far, " Nigan claimed

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