Government's Control Body to document acquisitions of saliva COVID tests made by ONAC, IGSU

Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca ordered the Government Control Body to launch a documentary action on the procurement of COVID saliva tests made by the National Office for Centralized Procurement (ONAC) and the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), informs a press release of the Executive, agerpres reports.

The Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) said last week that it was not DSU or IGSU representatives who had established the characteristics found in the specifications developed for the acquisition of rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests performed on saliva, but representatives of the National Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices in Romania, upon the request of the National Centralized Procurement Office.

On October 8, 2021, by the Decision of the National Committee for Emergency Situations no. 83, it was approved to establish a new product category, emergency medical stocks of strict necessity, consisting of rapid tests to determine the SARS-CoV-2 antigen performed from the saliva sample. According to the procedure, the National Centralized Procurement Office - ONAC initiated the necessary steps to carry out the acquisition, DSU informed, through a press release.

According to the press release, "there were not the representatives of DSU or IGSU who established the characteristics found in the specifications elaborated for the purchase of the medical devices we are referring to, but representatives of the National Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices in Romania, at the request of ONAC, which provided the urgent need for support from specialists."