The Public Health and Referencing Laboratory in Tamale is to begin testing of COVID-19 samples tomorrow.
The development forms part of efforts to expand health infrastructure to aid the fight against the coronavirus.
Currently, there is no facility in northern Ghana capable of testing for the pandemic which has infected over one thousand five hundred and caused the deaths of ten persons across the country.
The northern, upper east, upper west and North east regions have all confirmed cases.
Hundreds of samples taken through contact tracing are sent to Kumasi for testing.
According to stakeholders, the situation does not only put pressure on the KCCR in Kumasi, it also has cost implementation for the regions up north.
The Regional Laboratory Scientist, Dr. Abass Abdul Karim in an interview with GBC news in Tamale disclosed that testing of samples in Tamale begins tomorrow after training personnel today.
Dr. Abass further disclosed that, the center will be able to test nearly three hundred samples in a day.
He described the development as refreshing, saying it will reduce the turn around time and help in efforts to combat the disease.
“You realize that since this thing started, we’ve been actually sending samples to KCCR in Kumasi. It comes with its own challenges in terms of the financial aspect and even the efforts we put in place in sending the samples, if we are actually going to start, then I think that burden will reduce to the barest minimum,” he said.
Story filed by: Murtala Issah
