Local manufacturers of drug-testing kits say they have been disqualified from providing their wares to schools as the Department of Education’sitting approved tests are all branded rather than generic and imported from the United States.

Random drug-testing was approved at totally public schools with the implementation of the Education Amendment Laws Act at the start of the year.

Last month, Education Minister Naledi Pandor gazetted six branded drug-testing kits which schools could use, and called for comment. The Drug Detective, One-step Home Cocaine Test Strip, Multi-Drug Test, Quicktox Drug Screen, Monitect Drug Screen Cassette and the Toxcup Drug Test are branded products, manufactured in the US and imported.

Daphne Bradbury, former head of the South African Institute because Drug-Free Sport and an expert on drug testing policy, said the department should have called for the sake of generic five-panel dip-card piss strips, sealable urine cups, single-strip urine strips and five-panel card animal-water non-dip sticks, instead of identifying branded products.

Local manufacturers did not want to go on record, but they said the course of life had automatically discounted them by profession for products made in the US, most of them by the same company.

“The imported products are going to be more expensive than the ones we could give,” united supplier said.

Bradbury aforesaid she had not seen a call for invitations for suppliers to go onto an approved choose and it appeared the department had side-stepped procedures. “There are at least 30 to 40 manufacturers here making tests. With the department putting out a roll of brand names it creates the impression that they have already selected the brands they want.”

Recent reports said the education department would announce the list of approved drug-testing kits soon.

It took the education department three weeks to respond to a query from the Weekend Argus. It said the reason for publishing the list of devices with a view to comment was to provide an opportunity to manufacturers - including SA manufacturers - to recommend their devices. Such recommendation could lead to the selvage being amended. The department said the tests were “not described generically so as to make them user of mutual regard”.

This article was originally published on page 17 of The Cape Argus on June 29, 2008

??? ???? ??????? ?? ????????? ??????

Мой блог находят по следующим фразам