KUALA LUMPUR: The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry has only received three complaints this year regarding the shortage of Covid-19 Antigen Rapid Test Kit (RTK-Ag) in the country.
The ministry said, there are currently 18 million RTK-Ag test kits sold at some 8,084 retail stores nationwide, at prices between RM4.90 and RM19.90.
Almost 80 per cent of the test kits, it said, are priced below RM10.00 per unit.
“The government has taken proactive measures by gazetting the RTK-Ag test kit as a controlled item under the Control of Supplies (Controlled Goods) Order (No.6) 2021 on Nov 24, 2021 that took effect on Dec 1, 2021, to ensure the availability and adequate supply of the item.
“In fact, the eight manufacturers that have obtained conditional approval to make RTK-Ag test kits have produced 4.306 million test kits, up to Feb 2022.
“The country has also imported 2.34 million test kits from seven countries. So, there is an additional supply of 6.647 million test kits in the market, as of end February.
“Based on our statistics, the ministry noted a very low complaint rate on the lack of test kits this year, with only three reports registered so far between Jan 1 and Feb 21,” it said in a statement today.
The ministry said, it is also conducting inspections and monitoring on a daily basis at all levels of the supply chain to ensure a stable supply of test kits.
It also warned traders to not indulge in profiteering acts, as they could be imprisoned or fined, or both, if found guilty.
Corporate companies, meanwhile, will be slapped with a RM2 million fine, if convicted for the offence.
The ministry’s enforcement director Azman Adam, on Feb 13, said some parts of the country experienced supply disruptions of test kits due to a spike in Covid-19 cases and delivery delays from manufacturers in China during the Chinese New Year holidays.
Source: New Straits Times
