Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony yesterday said that properly trained staff and the right equipment are among requirements that need to be met by private labs in Guyana in order to be licensed to conduct Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests for COVID-19.
“In licensing a facility to be able to do PCR testing you will have to satisfy the Ministry of Health technical personnel that you have the equipment, you have the know-how, you have the staff to be able to do this thing in the right way,” Anthony said during a COVID-19 update, while listing specific laboratory requirements that have to be assessed by the ministry before licensing is done. “Whether you have the PCR machine, whether it’s working properly, whether you have the biohazard cabinet so you can do extraction of samples,” he noted.
Another important component, he noted, is if the laboratories have staff that are trained specifically to conduct PCR testing. He reiterated that the ministry has been able to train 30 staff members from the public sector to conduct those tests. “Another very important component would be whether you have trained staff. Again this is a very specialized process and, therefore, you have to get the staff who understand how to do PCR testing,” he noted, while adding that he is unsure if there are many persons in the private sector who are able to offer those services.
He further mentioned that even as there are only two licensed labs in the country to do the testing, the ministry is willing to work with every facility that has the required equipment and other requirements to ensure that they meet the required standards.
“But I also want the public to know that unless such licences are granted, they must stick with those, the ones that have been given the licence, so don’t get misled,” he said while adding that some facilities have been overly exuberant and have been advertising falsely and persons should be aware of that.
