Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olurunnimbe Mamora, on Monday, disclosed that it costs Federal Government N10, 000 or thereabout to conduct a Covid-19 test using the World Health Organization (WHO) validated Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) which produces accurate result.
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Mamora who spoke to journalists in Abuja, on Monday, said that government was, however, not worried about the cost but the accuracy of the result, hence the insistence on real-time PCR equipment which produce an accurate result.
He maintained that the use of Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kits has not been approved in Nigeria because the World Health Organization (WHO) has not validated it.
He said: “I don’t have the exact figure but I was meant to understand that it costs about N10,000 or thereabout to run the test. I am not too sure about the figure. But even if at N10,000, you can just imagine the huge financial involvement given the number of people that want to be tested.
“Perhaps, that was why people are coming up with RDTs but we have reservation about it. It’s not WHO validated, it’s mostly based on anti-bodies that would be identified in the blood. Also, the margin of error is quite high. PCR remains most reliable method of testing for an accurate result.
“Also, it’s not about having the machines in place but also about the personnel. These are specialized equipment that would need highly-trained personnel to handle to avoid getting unreliable results.”
Meanwhile, the minister hinted that the top presidential aide who tested positive for coronavirus must have enjoyed some special arrangement which allowed him to be treated at an undisclosed private hospital in Lagos.
He explained: “I don’t have full details about him or her receiving treatment in an undisclosed private hospital in Lagos for Covid-19. However, if that is true, then he or she must have enjoyed a special arrangement, because, for now, private hospitals are not yet accredited to respond to Covid-19 patients.”
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