Speaking in Abuja on the report of the second batch pre-market validation of COVID-19 test kits in Nigeria, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of MLSCN, Dr Tosan Erhabor. He mentioned that 2 test kits were produced by Nigeria Institutes. They are Nigeria Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) and the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR). However, these Covid-19 test kits cannot be used yet as they still need validation.
Furthermore, he said the 33 rapid/PCR test kits evaluated by the MLSCN failed. Moreover, the country awaits two World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) pre-qualified antigen rapid test kits. When these arrive, he said it would go through validation immediately.
“The two test kits that are on CNN and that have been trending have not been subjected to validation by the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria.
“For us as an organisation, when we heard of those breakthroughs we were excited and reached out to our sister organisations, congratulating them for their wonderful feat. We’re still using this medium to call on NIPRD and NIMR to subject their kits for validation. You cannot produce the kit, validate it yourself, and you say it should be used in our country. That is not the process.”
