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We’ve stopped N50,000 extra charges for COVID-19 test – 54gene CEO

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Founder and Chief Executive Officer of 54gene, Dr Abasi Ene-Obong, says the medical facility has stopped charging N50,000 extra for mobilisation.

54gene is one of the seven laboratories accredited by the Lagos State Government to carry out COVID-19 tests on individuals who wish to undergo the test.

Other accredited laboratories are Total Medical Services, SynLab, Medbury Medical Services, Biologix Medical Services, O2 Medical Services, and Clina Lancent Laboratories.

PUNCH HealthWise had, on July 12, reported that apart from the N50,400 that accredited private laboratories were mandated to charge per COVID-19 test, some of them levied extra charges they referred to as ‘logistics,’ ‘home service,’ or ‘mobilisation.’

A handful of the seven accredited laboratories were charging extra fees ranging from N10,000 to N50,000.

Speaking exclusively with our Correspondent, Dr. Ene-Obong said, sequel to PUNCH HealthWise report, the Lagos State Government had set up a team to handle COVID-19 tests for individuals who are below 10 in number and who wish to undergo COVID-19 test in any of the seven accredited private laboratories.

Ene-Obong said:

“For people that meet the case definition, you will get a free test at the Lagos State health facilities.

“However, there are people who are not necessarily sick but still want the test and they are the ‘want-to-test’, not the ‘need-to-test,’ because those that need to test still get free tests, but those that want to test are often companies that want to have their employees tested.

“For those who want to test, because it’s driven by large companies or families, then they pay for the test.

“The price to test was fixed and regulated at N50,400 by the state government after consultations with laboratories in the consortium and based on the state’s experience performing thousands of COVID19 tests,” he said.

Ene-Obong said 54gene was charging extra because of the cost implication in carrying out the test.

“For those that want to test, the economics does not work if you are going to visit people in their houses and you are testing one person; because every time you go to test one person, you have to wear a full personal protective equipment suit and you are spending at least N20,000 for one person.”

He said consequently, his organisation has set up a walk-in test centre for individuals who want to undergo COVID-19 test.

“We have already set up a walk-in testing centre where people can walk into and rather than paying extra, they can just go there and pay the normal testing fee, which is N50,400

“Meanwhile, we have removed the extra charge; and if it’s less than 10 people, we can send the Lagos State sample team to collect the samples.”

Ene-Obong noted that the consortium was new and that there are things members are learning as they proceed.

“A few of the laboratories were charging extra because it’s home service or if the test is below a certain number and no extra charge above a certain number.

“What your publication has done is that it alerted us to the fact that we were having similar problems.

“However, we have a solution now and the consortium has agreed that if the people who want to test are below 10, then we will send the consortium surge team, which is a logistics team that the consortium has set up to help support this type of issue.

“So, now, Lagos State has set up a surge team and if they are below 10, rather than charging an extra fee, we’ll refer them to the surge team to handle, so that people do not have to pay anything extra,” Ene-Obong added.

Recall that on June 26, the Lagos State Government had approved seven private laboratories as COVID-19 testing centres.

Speaking during the briefing at Alausa, Lagos Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said the private laboratories were selected through a rigorous accreditation process.

The commissioner said four public laboratories with a combined capacity of 2,000 currently test COVID-19 samples in the state.

The laboratories are: the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos State Biobank, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, and Central Public Health Laboratory.

“As Lagos State continuously attempts to open up various aspects of its economy, it is imperative that COVID-19 tests are widely available to members of the public.

“In a bid to ramp up its testing capacity, Lagos state government has taken a strategic decision to include private laboratories in the testing of COVID-19.

“However, the state’s COVID-19 responses will remain a centrally managed emergency response by the state government,” Abayomi had said.

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