Indigenous test kits to boost Andhra’s capabilities in Covid-19 management

Paving the way for indigenous medical equipment manufacturing in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday launched Covid-19 testing kits manufactured by the Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ).

All set to start producing the test kits from April 15, AMTZ will begin manufacturing 2,000 kits per day and gradually scale up production.

Speaking to the media, Minister for Industries, Mekapati Goutham Reddy, said, "AMTZ is now manufacturing 2,000 testing kits per day. Once it gets the laser welding equipment, the production will be scaled up to 25,000 units per day. Starting from April 15, for the first time in India, AMTZ will produce ventilators. It will start with 3,000 ventilators a month which will soon be scaled up to 5,000 units per month."

The minister said that apart from the state''s requirements, AMTZ will also cater to rest of the country. Each test kit can be used to perform 20 tests at a cost of ₹1,200 for the government. By May, the AMTZ is aiming to manufacture 7.5 lakh kits and deliver them to other states as well.

The government plans to scale up the supply of kits to facilitate 4,000 tests a day in the state. DNA, RNA, PCR tests can also be performed using these kits and the result can be seen in 55 minutes, the minister added.

Plans are afoot to manufacture ventilators too at the AMTZ. Officials said that the Central government has already placed orders for 3,500 ventilators.

"Permission has been granted by the Naval department to manufacture a machine that supports 5 to 6 patients using one ventilator. Such innovations will come up from the MedTech zone in near future and it would be the focal point of medical discovery in India," the minister said.