Coronavirus: Only traced contacts, exposed persons, others will enjoy free tests - Labs

Spokesperson for the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists, Dennis Adu Gyasi, has outlined persons who will enjoy the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) free covid-19 test directive.

According to Dennis Adu Gyasi, persons who have come into contact with persons who have tested positive for Covid-19, persons who have been exposed to the virus, as well as sick persons, are the immediate groups to benefit from the free test directive by the MOH.

This clarification by the Ghana Association of Medical laboratory scientists comes after all public Covid-19 public testing laboratories were directed by the Ministry of Health to conduct free covid-19 tests for residents in Ghana.

This development was revealed in a statement signed by the Acting Chief Director for the Ministry Of Health, Kwabena Bodu Oku-Afari.

According to the statement, only travelers are to be charged for the covid-19 test.

“The Ministry of Health has decided that public COVID-19 testing laboratories providing walk-in services can only charge travellers for testing. All other walk-in requests such as ill-health, contact tracing and exposure must be done free-of-charge using public health resources,” the statement added.

Reacting to the statement in an interview with host of Atinka FM’s AM Drive with host Kaakyire Ofori Ayim, Dennis Adu Gyasi explained that the directive does not mean that one can walk into any laboratory to get a covid-19 test done.

“Failure to state categorically the group of persons to conduct the test will lead to an ineffective management of the covid-19 outbreak.

He called on persons who are sick and suspect covid-19 to go to health facilities and go through the necessary registration. “Such persons will also be given epidemiological or tracking number to trace you after the results of the test is ready,” he added.