Minal Dakhave Bhosale Develops India’s First Covid-19 Testing Kit; Anand Mahindra and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw laud her effort

Women are no less than men and Minal Dakhave Bhosale, a virologist has proved it. She is the first Indian woman to lead the team to create the Patho Detect testing kit for the novel coronavirus. The kit, which would have taken three to four months for completion, was developed in six weeks. Amazing, isn’t it? Each Mylab kit can test 100 samples and costs 1,200 rupees ($16; £13) – that’s about a quarter of the 4,500 rupees that India pays to import Covid-19 testing kits from abroad as per a report in BBC.

BBC reported, “On Thursday, indigenous testing kits created by a Pune-based diagnostic-company Mylabs Discovery Solutions were made available in the markets”.

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

As coronavirus cases has climbed to a higher rate, this kit will serve as a boon to test more people. Minal Dakhave Bhosale, Mylab’s research and development chief said, “Our kit gives the diagnosis in two and a half hours while the imported testing kits take six-seven hours.”

She submitted the kit for evaluation by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) on March 18 , just a day before delivering her daughter. “It was an emergency, so I took this on as a challenge. I have to serve my nation,” said Minal.

“If you carry out 10 tests on the same sample, all 10 results should be same. And we achieved that. Our kit was perfect,” she added.

Anand Mahindra and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw have lauded the effort of Minal. Anand Mahindra tweeted, “Ms. Bhosale, you delivered not just the test kit and your baby , but you also delivered a ray of hope to the country. We stand and salute you…”

Ms. Bhosale, you delivered not just the test kit and your baby , but you also delivered a ray of hope to the country. We stand and salute you… https://t.co/iqQgQvBzg3

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 28, 2020

Chairperson and managing director of Biocon Limited, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw was also all praise for the lady.

Coronavirus: The woman behind India’s first testing kit- makes us all so proud ⁦to see women leading the way Congrats Mylab https://t.co/W1WnC8Knrm

— Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (@kiranshaw) March 28, 2020

For more such updates, stay tuned to this space.

Also Read: Akshay Kumar Donates Rs. 25 Crore From His Savings To PM Narendra Modi’s PM-CARES Fund