Times Of Swaziland: CLINIC GROUP STOPS COVID-19 TESTING FOR TRAVELLERS

CLINIC GROUP STOPS COVID-19 TESTING FOR TRAVELLERS
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BY SITHEMBILE HLATSHWAYO on 30/12/2020 00:03:00


MBABANE - Travellers who want health clearance certificates in order to visit
other countries have been left with fewer options.
This follows that The Clinic Group, which operates the Manzini Clinic, Mbabane
Clinic and another facility in Matsapha, has announced that it will no longer be
offering the Travel PCR COVID-19 tests at its facilities.
It has been gathered that the decision to halt the offering of the tests was
caused by the overwhelming number of clients.
The tests detect the virus’s genetic material using a lab technique called
polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
The PCR is a document that proves that one has tested for COVID-19 and reflects
the results.
At the entry points (borders), travellers are required to produce the
aforementioned documents and it is only when they have tested negative for
COVID-19 that they are allowed to either leave or enter the coutry. Worth noting
is that The Clinic Group offered the tests at a standard price of E850.
Confirmed
Hospital Manager, Welcome Motsa, confirmed the news, adding that they would not
be offering such tests until further notice.
“Due to the overwhelming demand, we reserve COVID-19 tests for symptomatic
patients only.”
According to Motsa, this is another way of controlling the overcrowding, which
has been recently realised and maintain social distancing which is becoming
difficult due to the influx created by demand for the service.
Motsa said they were now going to prioritise those people who were already sick.
He said those who were asymptomatic or wanted to conduct the tests for
travelling purposes, needed to directly go to the laboratory facilities offering
the service.
He noted that by testing only symptomatic people, they were trying to control
the overcrowding and influx due to the surge at their clinics.  “This results
in the sick people not receiving the required attention and priority.” Motsa
said they were recently flooded with an unnecessary influx.
Meanwhile, Minster of Health Lizzie Nkosi said The Clinic Group was doing
clinical management and was treating COVID-19, yet it was not doing it before.
She said it was the right choice for them to prioritise their job and focus on
the diagnosis instead of the Travel PCR COVID-19 tests which were conducted for
crossborder purposes.
“I think The Clinic Group is making a choice between the sick people and those
who just want to travel for whatever reasons,” she said.
Nkosi said the laboratories which were meant for the PCR-COVID-19 tests should
extend their hours and not close at 5pm in order to meet the demand.
She noted that these laboratories were making money as the tests were expensive,
hence they should improve their swiftness in terms of offering the service.
However, it should be noted that not all is lost as there are other options
which people can explore in order to get the travelling tests conducted. The
tests are available at Lancet Laboratories, AMPATH and some private clinics in
the country. However, information gathered was that the private clinics did the
tests at a slightly hiked price.