On 8^th July 2021, The Kerala High Court in the case of Devi Scans (P) Ltd & Ors. V. State of Kerala & Ors., has issued directions to the State Government, to consider the option of Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd supplying necessary equipments and materials to privately owned laboratories. This will help in reduction of rates of RT-PCR tests and will bring down it to reasonable rate. To ensure the same the court also directed the authorities to submit the list of equipments that are required to conduct the RT-PCR tests and the required quantity to the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd.

The court observed that the cost of consumables and kits that are required to carry out the RT-PCR tests have come down to rates which are similar to rates in Telangana, Odisha, Haryana and Uttarakhand. The cost of one RT-PCR tests according to the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd was Rs.448.20, but the court observed that the this price cannot be relied upon as they are the cost incurred when the materials are bought in bulk.

Therefore in such a case the court asked the respondents that whether they can supply the necessary equipments and materials at reasonable rates which will make them commercially feasible to the privately owned labs. Thus they were directed to submit the possible price they can offer to the petitioners. Similarly, the court asked the petitioners to submit the list of equipments and materials that are required to conduct RT-PCR tests and approximate quantity that will be required by the Corporation to achieve a competitive price.

– Animesh Raizada, Intern, POSHequili