Shortage of testing kits

By GYNNIE KERO and REBECCA KUKU
THE country’s main Covid-19 testing institution is running out of essential kits and chemicals and has advised the Government to send samples overseas in the meantime, it has been disclosed.
In a letter dated April 11 to the Health Department, PNG Institute of Medical Research director Prof William Pomat said they were running out of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) kits and reagents.
The letter said: “Our Covid-19 testing facilities in Goroka and Port Moresby are now running really low on PCR (polymerase chain reaction) kits and reagents.
“Although we have already paid for 2500 kits in the interim while we await the bulk order of 25,000 kits to arrive, we are still on the waiting list and will not receive these items until the end of this month due to the current global shortage. Please note that this is not due to a lack of capacity within PNG but because of the global demand and shortage of these PCR kits. We will recommence testing in-country as soon as we receive these items.
“As an interim plan, I am writing to request if the next batch of samples that will be reaching CPHL in the coming week can be sent to an alternative testing facility in Australia or New Zealand while we await the arrival of our kits and reagents in order to avoid delays in producing results that will be urgently needed by the surveillance team to track and contain the spread of Covid-19 in PNG.”
Acting Health Secretary Paison Dakulala said yesterday that he was aware of the situation and had an existing arrangement to have samples sent to Australia for testing.
Meanwhile, the East Sepik Provincial Health Authority is concerned about people travelling to Indonesia to sell vanilla and returning home with flu-like symptoms. Medical officials are conducting awareness and collecting of samples for testing.
In Madang, a containment centre has been built at the Modilon General Hospital with 18 self-contained rooms. It received a donation of K260,000 from the Yama Group of Companies.
In Morobe, isolation and quarantine areas have been identified and prepared. Community awareness, training of police, soldiers and councillors are being conducted.
In West Sepik, all districts have set up Covid-19 committees with training on sample collection protocols facilitated by Dr Josephine Turian and Dr Dean Hahenberi.