Govt decentralizing laboratory services - deputy health minister

Deputy Minister of health and Child care Aldrin Musiiwa has said the government is working on decentrilising the laboritary ervices in the country through the point of care machines in rural health centres and clinics.

Speaking in parliament Msiiwa said the issue around Laboratory Services provision does not hinge on the number of current Laboratories only.

"Government has made effort to decentralize laboratory services through the introduction of point of care machines in rural health centres as well as clinics in the urban areas. This has seen an increase in the number of CD4 tests done on patients. In this view, Viral Load technology is also underway," said Musiiwa.

"As for the existing laboratories, challenges have been found in terms of staffing due to frozen posts as well as lack of equipment and reagents. Most of the funding is currently from the Global Fund and it supports vertical programmes, namely malaria, TB and HIV. This leaves challenges in the diagnosis of non-communicable diseases like cancers, diabetes and other communicable diseases like Ebola, typhoid, diarrhoea diseases, etcetera. Therefore, a separate budget of these conditions needs to be availed to have the laboratories run at full throttle."

Musiiwa said increasing the number of laboratories is not the solution as the current tiered system can cater for the needs as long as the challenges are addressed.

"Currently, we have hundred and twenty six (126) laboratories in the country," Musiiwa said.