Ministry increases Covid testing centres
By Patience Lunda:
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has increased the number of Covid testing centres from 160 to 320, a move meant to improve access to healthcare services.
The 320 are on top of the 15 molecular laboratories which are being used for real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction testing for Covid.
MoH spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe said they have increased the number of testing centres after training additional personnel.
“One of the crucial areas in Covid management is testing so that we can know the extent of the problem. At first, we had limited capacity, which is why we were recording few cases, but we are now reaching out to many people,” he said.
Epidemiologist Adamson Muula said commended the move.
He, however, said health personnel should not lose focus on other diseases.
“If we are not careful, we may put a burden on the healthcare system, hence it is important to strengthen the whole pipeline,” he said.
Malawi Health Equity Network Executive Director George Jobe said the move would help stakeholders understand the extent of coronavirus infestation in the country.
As of Tuesday, the country had registered a total of 584 new Covid cases, with a total of 680,558 people fully vaccinated against Covid.
