COVID-19 Crisis: Uganda’s First Port Health Laboratory at Mutukula to Test 64 Samples Per Hour

The Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng and State Minister for Health in charge of General Duties, Hon. Robinah Nabbanja have commissioned the first Port Health laboratory in Uganda.

It is a gene expert laboratory with two machines and capacity to run 64 samples per hour.

The development comes at a time Uganda is recording a sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 cases among truck drivers in the East African region.

All truck drivers arriving via Mutukula point of entry will be tested for COVID-19 and results given within 45 minutes. “If you are found positive, you cannot proceed with your journey,” said Dr Aceng in Mutukula on Saturday. 

She warned that Mutukula border point remained a danger zone hence the need to step up testing and strictly enforce guidelines aimed at preventing further spread of Coronavirus.

She said two cases were confirmed in a space of hours after rolling out the rapid testing system at Mutukula.

Aceng said foreign drivers will have the option of either staying to be treated in Uganda or choose to return to one’s country for further management.

Health Ministry Permanent Secretary, Dr Diana Atwine said on top of these strategies, East African Regional Heads of States are holding discussions for a “harmonized regional approach towards COVID19 that is sensitive of the different agreements we have in place, and other factors.”

Uganda has a large testing capacity of over 15,000 BCR tests per day.

Some of this capacity is dedicated to other tests like the HIV Viral load monitoring, surveillance of other infections and research.

Officials said government would scale up Covid-19 testing capacity to 10,000 BCR tests per day in the event that need arises.

Initially, testing was exclusively at the Uganda Virus Research Institute which has been running up to 3,000 test per day.

“We have assessed many laboratories across the country and have identified those that can be activated for testing in an organized way to test for the dynamics of the infections spread and availability of re-agents,” said Aceng earlier this week.

The laboratories which have been accessed and deemed ready include Makerere University Department of Micro Biology and Immunology to test the rapid surveillance samples.

The National Health Labaratory Services of CPHL will dedicate a capacity of 2,000 tests per day to covid-19 and will continue to provide HIV Viral load and EID services.

Aceng said the equipped laboratories at Mutukula and Malaba borders with gene expert machines will reduce the turn around tying of results for in-bound truck drivers.