Acute shortage of HIV testing kits in Karnataka hits patients hard

The State has 470 stand-alone ICTCs and 2,940 functional ICTCs
| Photo Credit: SRINATH M

Following an acute shortage of HIV test kit 1 and Whole Blood Finger Prick test kit (HIV test kit 4) in the State, testing has almost come to a standstill in the government-run Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTC) in several districts. A few centres that have the test kits are testing only emergency and high-risk cases for the last one month.

The State has 470 stand-alone ICTCs and 2,940 functional ICTCs.  Counsellors and staff at these ICTCs confirmed to The Hindu that they had to face the wrath of patients for sending them back without testing. As of Wednesday, limited stocks of the test kits were reported from Bagalkot, Dakshina Kannada, Chikmagaluru, Vijayapura, Hubbali-Dharwad, Ramanagara, Yadgir and Koppal districts. 

“We are just collecting the serum samples and asking the patients to come back for the reports. Many patients are upset and shout at us. Also, there are chances of them not coming back for the reports and it is difficult for us to trace them if they are tested positive,” said a counsellor from Ramanagara.

“The availability of Kit 1 is vital, as the result of this test is the basis for further investigations,” said another counsellor from Mandya.

Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) officials attributed the shortage to delay in supply of the kits from the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO). They said that NACO had written to all AIDS Prevention Societies in the country in the last week of June asking them to make local procurement for a period of three to six months.

Use ARS, NFDS and NHM funds

Following this, State Health Commissioner Randeep D., wrote to all Deputy Commissioners, Chief Executive Officers of Zilla Panchayats, KSAPS Project Director, Mission Director of National Health Mission and, administrative heads of all government health facilities to procure the kits locally using Arogya Raksha Samithi (ARS), NHM and National Free Drugs Service (NFDS) funds. He has asked them to procure stocks for two months under provisions of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTTP) Act, 1999.

“While District Hospitals can procure 1,500 test kits a month, Taluk Hospitals can procure 500 kits, CHCs 150 kits and PHCs 100 kits a month. The current market price of the test kit 1 and kit 4 is ₹ 17,” stated the letter. Each kit can be used to test 50 to 90 people depending on the brand.

KSAPS  Additional Project Director Ramesh Chandra Reddy said the issue was being sorted out. “We have stocks in some centres and are managing with internal adjustments. Until July 20, we had a stock of 2,42,285 test kits 1 (enough to last for a month) and 1,11,858 test kits 4 (enough to last for 15 days). The latest availability report for this week from the districts is expected on Thursday,” he said.

KSAPS Joint Director (Basic Services) Ansar Ahmed, who is in charge of the programme, said there is a delay in supply of kits by NACO. “As an alternative, we have called tenders to procure three lakh test kits (kit 4) and the procurement process will be completed within ten days. We are expecting supply of six lakh test kits (kit 1) from NACO in the next one week. This should be enough to last for three months. The issue will be sorted out soon,” he said.