Seven hundred forty alleged expired HIV and pregnancy test kits were confiscated by the Bacolod City Anti-Illegal Drug Special Operation Task Group operatives from the Medisense Laboratory Center Inc. at the AU and Sons Building at Burgos-Locsin streets in Bacolod City yesterday.

Armed with a search warrant issued by Judge Napoleon Diamante of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities, Branch 3, the CAIDSOTG operatives led by SPO4 Ernesto Gonzales swooped down on the laboratory clinic managed by Pakistani Arshand Syeed Hussain and Ma. Luisa Monserate from noon to 1:30 p.m. yesterday, a police report said.

Recovered were 10 boxes of ACON HIV-test kits containing 40 pregnancy kits each, three plastic packs of ACON pregnancy tests kits and 31 stubs of Complete Medical Examination Tests at door No. 1.

Also recovered were another box of ACON HIV test kits, 40 pregnancy strips and two HW buffers from the laboratory clinic at door No. 3 of the building, police reports said.

Medical technologist Amador Alota said the pregnancy and HIV-test kits expired in September 2005.

Niel Recidoro, Sanitation Inspector VI officer of the Bacolod City Health Office, said expired pregnancy kits could have unreliable results on women who use them.

SPO4 Gonzales told the DAILY STAR, two employees of the clinic informed the police about the expired items that reportedly were used in the laboratory. He said the recovered items are now in police custody and will be referred to the Department of Health for confirmation.

Monserate and Hussain are now in the custody of the Bacolod police for violation of Article 40(l) of the Republic Act 7394, or the Consumer Act of the Philippines.

Monserate claimed the confiscated items were set to be disposed of days before the raid. However, some of her personnel whom she had a misunderstanding with framed her by reporting the existence of the expired kits to the police, she said.

Her accountant, operations manager, medical technologist, and four others want to destabilize the operations of her clinic, which has branches in Saudi, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India, she claimed.

Monserate said the incident has caused her embarrassment and she will take legal action against her personnel who conspired to frame her, she added.*DMG

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