The University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) laboratory in the Volta region has become the latest certified testing centre for the Corona virus pandemic in Ghana.
The facility, which is situated at the university’s main campus at Sokode-Lokoe near Ho, is set to commence sample testing from today, Monday April 27, 2020 after weeks of preparatory works.
Dr. Senanu Kwesi Djokoto, Deputy Director, Public Health at the Volta Regional Health Directorate who disclosed this in an exclusive chat with Volta Online over the weekend, said the lab which has state-of-the-art equipment has been duly calibrated and certified by experts from the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research, the lead COVID-19 testing centre in the country.
Dr. Senanu Kwesi Djokoto
He noted that, laboratory personnel who will work on the samples have also received adequate training at Noguchi and have since conducted series of simulations to acquaint themselves with the process.
With regards to the testing capacity, Dr. Djokoto disclosed that, the facility would begin with an initial capacity of 60 samples per day and gradually scale up.
According him, the coming on board the UHAS testing centre was a big boost for the management of COVID-19 cases not only in the Volta region but also in neighbouring Oti and Eastern regions, as it would drastically reduce the waiting period for sample results and its associated anxieties.
He lauded all stakeholders, including the managements of UHAS and the Ho Teaching Hospital for their collaborative efforts in bringing the initiative to fruition.
Watch Dr. Djokoto’s full submission below
Background
- The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu first gave the hint of government’s plans to support UHAS to carry out the COVID-19 testing during a surprise visit to the Ho Teaching Hospital and the Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service to assess their preparedness to manage a possible outbreak of the pandemic in the region.- This was also affirmed by President Akufo-Addo in his 7th national address on the pandemic, where he named UHAS as one of the institutions to join the existing four centres in the country as a COVID-19 testing centre.- Meanwhile, a total of 100,622 sample tests have been done across the existing testing centres, out of which 1,550 have proved positive.- These centres, include the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, the Veterinary laboratory in Accra and the National Public Health and Reference Lab, Korle-Bu.
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