Women With Power

India’s first coronavirus testing kit invented by a woman

Minal Dakhave Bhosale created India’s first coronavirus testing kit. it that was announced on March 26 to be put on the market.

Bhosale is the development chief and researcher at Mylab Discovery in the western city of Pune. Once the firm in India received confirmation to start making and selling the kits, the first batch of product consisted of 150 tests that were sent diagnostic labs in the area.

Dr. Gautam Wankhede, Mylab Discovery’s director and director of medical affairs told BBC on Friday, “Our manufacturing unit… is working through the weekend and the next batch will be sent out on Monday.”

The diagnostic company makes testing kits for HIV, Hepatitis B and C and other diseases. The company can supply up to 100,000 coronavirus testing kits a week with the ability to produce 200,000 if needed. Each kit costs 1,200 rupees and can test 100 samples.

Virologist Bhosale told BBC, “Our kit gives the diagnosis in two and a half hours while the imported testing kits take six to seven hours.”

As the lead on her team of 10, they designed and created a testing kit they called “Patho Detect.” This kit was finished in record time. They completed the task six weeks ahead when they originally thought it would take three to four months.

According to the BBC, that wasn’t the only deadline on the scientist’s mind. Last week she gave birth to her baby girl. When the team first started developing the kit in February, it was just a few days after she left the hospital with a pregnancy complication. In the end, the testing kit was submitted for evaluation by the National Institute of Virology on March 18, a day before she went into delivery.

Bhosale told BBC, “It was an emergency, so I took this on as a challenge. I have to serve my nation.”

India recently has been facing criticism for not testing enough people for the coronavirus. This breakthrough gave India and Mylab Discovery the recognition that they deserve.

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