In addition to launching our Nigeria COVID-19 testing fund which was deployed to support the efforts of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control by purchasing vital testing equipment for public laboratories across Nigeria; we have partnered with First City Monument Bank and Ogun State Government on the pilot of a new solution aimed at expanding testing across the country: the launch of our first COVID-19 mobile laboratory.
In carrying out a situational analysis, it became clear that there was a need for infrastructure to support an increase in testing capacity in Nigeria. However, setting up a permanent structure requires significant cost, manpower and an extensive period of construction time. Speed was of the essence, as we saw the need to increase nationwide testing capabilities, isolate positive cases and thus help flatten the curve by breaking the chain of transmission.
Then came the solution of constructing a mobile laboratory. Our mobile lab removes the restriction imposed by permanent buildings and allows us to quickly offer our services to multiple states due to the ease of transport and the mobile capability it provides.
The 40ft structure built with container technology provides a unique plug and play feature that eliminates the logistics of shipping samples to another location for processing. This reduces turnaround times for test results and allows clinicians to manage and treat patients accurately, sooner rather than later. The environmentally friendly cargotecture solution can also be reused to serve other functions for urban spaces.
Our mobile laboratory is fully kitted with vital instruments including an autoclave, biosafety cabinet, centrifuge, heating blocks, vortexes, pipettes, and PCR machines to support COVID-19 testing. We have also helped build capacity by equipping molecular scientists with the necessary skill set required to handle the instruments in the mobile lab as they would in regular molecular testing laboratories.
In addition, our first round of testing utilising our mobile laboratory will be carried out in Ogun state, in the coming weeks beginning today, 27 April 2020.
This pilot was launched in collaboration with First City Monument Bank and Ogun State government, and made possible through the support of our partners:, Argentil Capital Partners, Arnergy Solar limited, Tempohousing Nigeria and Wild fusion. We express our immense gratitude for their help in making this a reality.
