The Medical Supplies Division is going against a Presidential Secretariat order to halt the importation of substandard diabetes test strips and test kits from India, according to sources at the Health Ministry.
The sources alleged a major financial fraud behind the attempt which is being made despite the availability of adequate stocks that stand at one million test strips and 5,000 test kits.
Following several accusations, the Presidential Secretariat investigated the matter and stopped buying the test strips and the test kits from an Indian maker that has no registration with the Medicines Regulatory Authority.
However, the Authority has given temporary permission to make the purchases at a Rs. 380 million cost under an Indian credit line.
Test strips costing only Rs. 15 each were to be bought at a price as high as Rs. 85 per strip.
