Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced that COVID-19 tests can be conducted for free in facilities within its molecular laboratory network.
The centre made this known in a message posted on its Twitter handle, @NCDCgov on Sunday.
Scale-up of testing is key in assessing the #COVID19Nigeria situation and coordinating response across the country.
Kindly note that #COVID19 tests conducted in facilities within the NCDC molecular lab network are FREE of charge.
View full list via:https://t.co/SqEowDI58H pic.twitter.com/icl8UYRqu3
— NCDC (@NCDCgov) August 2, 2020
The clarification comes as some parents of pupils in private secondary schools in Ogun State protested the request of N25,000 COVID-19 test fee by the government.
It would be recalled that Ogun state government mandated all returning students in boarding houses to undergo malaria and COVID-19 tests ahead of nationwide schools resumption on Monday, August 3.
Read Also: Ogun Orders Mandatory COVID-19, Malaria Tests For Returning Boarding Students
The parents were said to have protested at the MTR Specialist Hospital, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, the designated place for the pupils in Abeokuta to get tested.
However, NCDC in its statement listed 61 laboratories nationwide within its network, where such tests could be conducted free.
The centre listed the laboratories on its website but here are some of the laboratories are; 54Gene, Ogun; Afriglobal Medicare Laboratory; University College Hospital Virology department laboratory and Biorepository and clinical virology lab, University College Hospital in Oyo state; State Specialist Hospital, Amachara in Abia State; Federal Medical Centre, Yola, Adamawa; Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Akwa Ibom State; Accunalysis Medical Diagnostics, Anambra.
In Lagos, there are Virology Lagos University Teaching Hospital; Nigeria Institute for Medical Research; Biosafety Level-3 Laboratory; 54gene Lagos; and the NCDC Central Public Health Laboratory.
In Abuja, there are NCDC National Reference Laboratory; Defence Reference Laboratory; FCT – 54gene; State House Annex Clinic Laboratory; University of Abuja, Gwagwalada Laboratory; and United Nations IOM Laboratory.
Others are; COOUTH Awka Abbott Laboratory; Bauchi State Reference Laboratory, Bauchi; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital; 161 AHM Laboratory, Benue state; and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Borno state.
