There are over 1000 COVID-19 cases detected in the country so far with substantial rounds of testing still pending to kickstart. As the Indian authorities get questioned by International organisations for India’s medical infrastructure and mitigation preparedness, a Pune virologist has risen to the occasion to become the country’s crusader in its fight against the pandemic.
All thanks to the commendable efforts of Minal Dakhave Bhosale, India is all set to scale its testing operations with our very first made-in-India coronavirus testing kit. Developed by molecular diagnostic company Mylabs, the kits made it to market on Thursday. Each one of these kits can test up to 100 samples at a nominal cost of Rs 1,200.
The team that developed the kit in a record time of six weeks was headed by Bhosale. “Our kit gives the diagnosis in two and a half hours while the imported testing kits take six-seven hours,” she shared in a media statement. Admirably, Bhosale started working on the kit right after getting discharged from a hospital in February owing to a pregnancy complication. “It was an emergency, so I took this on as a challenge. I have to serve my nation,” said Bhosale in her interaction with BBC. The kit was submitted for evaluation to the National Institute of Virology just a day before she delivered her daughter.
This is a huge step closer to India’s fight against the pandemic and netizens can’t stop lauding the virologist. Actress Soni Razdam took to Instagram earlier today to share Bhosale’s story of perseverance with the world:
The virologist kept working on the kit despite complications in her own pregnancy as the team handled functional complications with the kit simultaneously. “There were complications in the pregnancy while work on the test kit was on. The baby was delivered through cesarean,” she shared. Bhosale further added, “I had been working for five years in this field and if I don’t work in emergency situations when my services are needed the most, then what is the use?”
With just 27,000 people tested for COVID-19 in India so far and a gradual rise in the number of cases by the day (we saw the highest rise yesterday with 194 patients tested positive), this kit is going to make it easier for health professionals across the country to get a grasp of the real statistics. Additionally, by catalyzing the testing process, the kit will also prepare India with its mitigation activities.
Here’s how the Twitterati is hailing the virologist for her dedication.
Needless to say, the woman has proved to be a true hero in this time of crisis. We salute her unyielding spirit!
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