The Public Health Inspectors (PHI) have been greatly inconvenienced since they have not been provided with the kits to carry out on-site tests, Public Health Inspectors Association of Sri Lanka (PHIASL) Treasurer W.D. Roshan Kumara said.
The PHIs alleged that they have not been provided with any on-site test kits in a decade.
Since the test kits for checking iodine levels in a packet of salt have also not been provided, food samples have to be sent to laboratories incurring a large cost.
Even though they have been instructed to check the temperature of the refrigerators during raids, they have not even been given a thermometer to check the temperature. Some Medical Officer of Health (MOH) Offices have only one thermometer.
The PHIs pointed out that there are on-site test kits in other countries to even test for aflatoxin in coconut oil and a large amount of expenses can be saved if such kits are provided to PHIs in Sri Lanka.
They said that there is no option but to dissolve the food samples in water and send the suspicious samples to the laboratories for pigment testing.
The PHIs further said that if there are facilities to send the suspicious samples to the laboratories after conducting preliminary testing, it will be possible to reduce the congestion in the laboratories and reduce the cost.
