Fake AIDS testing kits irk patients


People living with HIV/Aids have called upon the government to scrutinize closely the companies that have applied for the tender to supply rapid HIV test kits countrywide, to make sure that only a genuine and reliable firm wins the tender.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam, two brothers currently living with HIV/Aids said that they were among victims of the fake South Korean HIV test kits in 2012.

“I tested my blood using the South Korean HIV test kits two years ago, but I was found to be negative, but as my health situation worsened I went to another hospital where it was proved that I was HIV positive,” said Prosper Peter, a resident of Mwenge in Dar es Salaam.

He lamented that had he gone through a genuine HIV test kit at earlier stage, then he would have started taking anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs on time, something that could have improved his life for the better. Another person living with HIV/Aids Mr Martin Joachim thanked the government for its efforts aimed at making sure that victims of that dreadful disease get life-prolonging drugs on time.

“Let the Ministry of Health make sure that corrupt people or fake companies are not in any way associated with providing genuine HIV testing kits. This exercise should undergo a holistic approach to enable the government achieve Big Result Now (BRN) in the social services sector” he said.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an official from the Ministry of Health and Social Services said that the government was in the final stage to appoint a reliable company that will soon start providing new rapid HIV test kits. “There is no need to raise alarm here.


The Ministry of Health and Social Services has already consulted all relevant authorities concerned with this matter. This time around we are confidently sure that we shall get the right company,” he said.

Two years ago, the government announced the withdrawal of a South Korean HIV test kit from circulation, following warnings about its poor quality.

In the same year, the UN World Health Organization removed the Standard Diagnostics Bioline® HIV 1/2 3.0 Rapid HIV Test Kit from its list of approved rapid test kits with immediate effect; the alert was issued after Bioline failed quality assurance tests.

Tanzania had followed Kenya in issuing the immediate recall of all Bioline testing kits in the country in 2012. The controversy on the importation, registration and supply of the SD Bioline-1/2.3.0 HIV test kits in the country forced the government to appoint a probe team that established facts on the products and establish reasons why it took time for the kits to be registered.

By DEOGRATIAS MUSHI, Tanzania Daily News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.