WHO, NICD GIVES ESWATINI TESTING LAB ‘THUMBS UP’

mbongeni@times.co.sz

MBABANE – COVID-19 laboratory tests done in Eswatini are authentic. So perfect are these tests such that the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in South Africa has approved government to independently conduct coronavirus tests without having to send samples to other countries for a double check.

The Eswatini Health Laboratory Service (SHLS) is currently found at the Mbabane Government Hospital. The lab was recently upgraded by engineers and technicians from South Africa to become a standard testing laboratory for COVID-19 cases.

Prior to its assembling, government was forced to send samples to SA, the NICD, for tests and this took a number of days before patients could know whether they are positive or negative for the deadly virus. Latest statistics released by the minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi, state that there are now 56 confirmed cases of people that have been diagnosed with the virus in the kingdom. On Friday, 113 results were released by the laboratory and only four were positive, while 109 were negative.

QUICKER

Following the assembling of the laboratory locally, the ministry of health said it was now able to give results quicker and faster. This is done every two days. The newly refurbished laboratory falls under the Ministry of Health, and exists to support delivery of cost-effective diagnosis and management of disease, monitoring of treatment, control of infectious diseases, and health promotion through research, and surveillance of disease trends at all levels of the health care system.

According to the government website, in the next five years, the core health laboratory functions required within the ministry of health would be executed through the SHLS as leader of the laboratory sector, providing specialised services, and supporting all laboratories and testing sites to achieve certification and licensure to meet both National and International Standards.
In Eswatini, there are about 257 medical laboratory professionals. These professionals include technologists, technicians, and phlebotomists, microscopists sample transporters.

Chief Medical Laboratory Technologist and focal person surveillance Gugu Maphalala confirmed that WHO and NICD had approved the countries laboratory. She said tests were being conducted on a daily basis, which had been submitted by health institutions. She said the ministry was also in a process to establish another testing laboratory at the Lubombo Referral Hospital in Siteki.

“We have been approved by WHO and NICD to conduct tests in the laboratory. This is after we were able to upgrade our facilities. In fact, we have divided a section in the laboratory specifically to conduct tests for the coronavirus. This is what will also be done in Lubombo,” she said. 

According to the WHO, Laboratories undertaking testing for COVID-19 virus should adhere strictly to appropriate biosafety practices. Biosafety practices include that of testing on clinical specimens from patients meeting the suspect case definition should be performed in appropriately equipped laboratories by staff trained in the relevant technical and safety procedures.

LIMITED

National guidelines on laboratory biosafety should be followed in all circumstances. The WHO says there is still limited information on the risk posed by COVID-19, but all procedures should be undertaken based on a risk assessment. Specimen handling for molecular testing would require BSL-2 or equivalent facilities. Attempts to culture the virus require BSL-3 facilities at minimum.

Meanwhile, the International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science (IFBLS) has set aside April 19-25 as a week to celebrate medical laboratory professionals worldwide. The IFL said this week should be used to respect all lab professionals who were working round the clock for better health care. A laboratory personnel, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that seemingly government did not recognise the recognition week.

“Government is currently quiet about international day for medical laboratory professionals yet it does celebrate midwives,” the personnel argued.

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