Covid-19 hit India as one of the worst pandemics. Humans who moved as free birds were requested to sit at home to protect themselves but these 6 women wore warrior suits and rose up to the occasion of covid-19 testing.
The all-women’s team working with Cosara Diagnostics Pvt Ltd (CDPL) since April last year, has made over 20 lakh RTPCR kits. The team started with making 8,000 kits which increased by around 400% during the second wave.
“Our team has been making the kits manually and gradually our capacity has increased. From 8,000 per day last year, we now make about 40,000 ‘reactions’ per day,” said Dr Swapnali Kulkarni, senior manager, technical services, CDPL.
Along with her, five other women — production officer Kesha Parikh, quality assurance officer Julie Tahilramani, R&D officers Janki Dalwadi and Jinitha Varghese, and quality check officer Kirti Doshi — are heading the operations of diagnostic tests to meet the country’s massive demand.
Dr. Swapanali Kulkarni told a media house that they were uncertain about the handling of the situation when the pandemic started. But all 6 of them had full support from their families to work for the welfare of the public.
“Earlier, we were making tests on a per person basis, but now, we have to make kits. Each kit comprises 400-500 tests. We are way past adhering to our office timings, and each person is dedicating extra hours without complaining. Not a single person has applied for leave even though the option is available. This is the time when we are given a chance to put our education and knowledge to use. Everyone wants to contribute in tackling the crisis and that is commendable.”
Cosara is a subsidiary of the listed company Ambalal Sarabhai, founded by Vikram Sarabhai. It has been a pioneering supplier of RT-PCR to various states including Gujarat, Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi. Since the beginning of lockdown in April 2020, it has supplied nearly 20,00,000 tests.
Apart from covid-19 testing, the team also assists government and private labs with technical guidance. Considering the current incline in the covid-19 cases, the team aims to scale its operations and make 8,00,000 tests every month shortly.
