Govt: Ebola testing lab ready

The government has said that the Mbeya laboratory is now equipped to detect Ebola virus and will begin operations in one month time as installation of othe
r required apparatus is still in progress. 

Currently, all the samples suspected to have the virus are taken to Nairobi, Kenya for testing as the country has no lab equipped to carry out the test. However, so far no case of Ebola has been reported in Tanzania.

Speaking in an interview after the launch of Health Care in Africa conference held in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday evening, Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Donan Mbando said the government is determined to see the lab start functioning in a month time.

“We will not have to send our Ebola samples to Nairobi any more since our Mbeya laboratory is equipped to do all the tests of Ebola virus. This is a good move for Tanzania and its people,” he said.
In efforts to keep the deadly disease from penetrating into the country, he said the government is conducting thermal scanning at all major entry points, adding that people with body temperatures exceeding 38 degree are tested for the virus.

While in Dodoma on September 04 this year, President Jakaya Kikwete said thermo scanners had been installed at all major entry points including the Julius Nyerere International Airport and Kilimanjaro International Airport.

“We are also in the process of importing more machines and install them at all entry points,” the President reassured the public.

The Head of State said apart from the thermo scanners, working tools for preventing the spread of Ebola had been distributed across the country along with protective gears.

“All regional hospitals have been advised to set aside isolation units for suspected Ebola patients,” the President went on to say noting they would be an addition to other quarantine units set up earlier at Muhimbili National Hospital and Temeke Regional Hospital – both in Dar es Salaam.

He said over 100 health care personnel from upcountry regions received training on how to handle Ebola patients while three had visited the Democratic Republic of Congo for further training.

Ebola has so far claimed lives of over 5,000 people in Ebola stricken countries in West Africa.

In another development, Dr Mbando yesterday said in efforts to ensure quality and sufficient health care services, the government will allow more private sector to offer the service.

“We have invited the private sector into the health industry so as to improve provision of health care services… we need to see the private sector opening more medical factories to ensure availability of medicines instead of relying on medicines from outside the country,” he said, noting that about 80 percent of medicines consumed in the country are imported.

In addition, Dr Mbando said by 2017 the government will have trained about 10,000 health workers as per target.

“Our target is to train about 10,000 health workers by 2017, but so far we have managed to train 8,000 which is very close to the target. It is our hope that by 2017 we will have surpassed the target,” he noted.

Meanwhile, a statement released by organisers of the two-day Health Care in Africa conference said Africa’s health care system is at an important turning point.

The statement said that the reforms that governments will undertake in the next decade will be crucial to cutting mortality rates and improving health outcomes in the continent.