KUALA LUMPUR (April 14): It appears that mTouche Technology Bhd is also jumping onto the medical equipment supply bandwagon.

The mobile services provider is partnering with Network Global Solutions Pty Ltd (NGS), a products and components sourcing company, to supply Covid-19 test kits. Its wholly-owned mTouche International Sdn Bhd has inked a supply agreement with NGS to market and distribute medical equipment in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

Under the agreement, both parties will collaborate to promote, market and distribute Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) RT-PCR Detection and Diagnostic Kit and Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) IgM/IgG Rapid Test Kit, and other equivalent products in this region, said mTouche in a statement today.

According to mTouche, NGS is licensed to promote, market and distribute the test kits and other medical supply products from China, South Korea and the UK to markets in Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

“The whole world is now experiencing a scarcity of medical equipment such as test kits, ventilators and protective gears — irrespective of whether you are in Europe, the US or Southeast Asia. This is a very meaningful journey for mTouche as we care for humanity and we are very moved and want to participate in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic with our 18 years’ network in the Southeast Asian market,” said its executive director Tang Boon Koon.

“We are expediting samples of the Covid-19 test kits to the Medical Device Authority (MDA) for approval and licensing of our products,” added Tang. MDA is under the purview of the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MoH).

Tang added that mTouche will continue to work with various health authorities in Southeast Asia to obtain the relevant approval for the use of the medical test kits.

“Through this collaboration, both companies are looking forward to leverage and synergise on their technical capabilities and distribution network for the provision of the medical test kits to more users in the region,” said Tang. 

Darren Whittaker, managing director of NGS, believes that the collaboration with mTouche is a perfect match for NGS’s strategic direction.

“During our discussion with mTouche, we realised that our collaboration with mTouche and its huge regional presence would enable us to step forward to fight this Covid-19 pandemic at this critical point in time. We are focusing all our resources in bringing the much-needed test kits, masks and other critical supplies to the frontlines as soon as possible," Whittaker said.

mTouche shares closed unchanged at 7 sen today, after 47.6 million shares were traded, giving it a market capitalisation of RM35.6 million.