Belarus cancels purchase of coronavirus test kits from Russia citing delays and poor quality
Belarus will not buy 30,000 Russian-made coronavirus test kits due to stalled negotiations and their poor accuracy, said Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei.
"We were in talks with two Russian companies to acquire 30,000 units, but these negotiations have stalled. And now we do not need these test kits: we produce test kits ourselves, and about 50,000 more. We have also received test kits from other countries," Makei told the news outley tut.by.
In addition, the Minister noted that according to the assessment of the head doctor of the Russian hospital Kommunarka, Denis Protsenko, Russian test kits are unreliable, they provide only about 60% accuracy.
"So, we don't need these test kits now," the Foreign Minister said.
Makei also confirmed that earlier Russia had sent to Belarus a free cargo of 10,000 test kits. "We transferred these test kits to the regions, to the border crossings, to check transit passengers from Russia, truckers from Russia. They were also sent to the nuclear power plant. We are, of course, grateful, but 10 thousand test kits are enough only for 2.5 days of work. The country uses about 4,000 test kits every day," the Foreign Minister said.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Igor Petrishenko said that Minsk expects 30,000 test kits from Russia.
"We announced the tender, and the Russian company won this tender for the delivery of 30,000 test kits. We expect that the contractual obligations will be met and we will receive these tests by April 17. At least that's how the Ministry of Health and our respective companies negotiated with the Russian manufacturer," the Deputy Prime Minister said earlier this week.