The integrity of some laboratories which have been accredited to undertake testing for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has suffered a jolt, as monetary consideration appears to be overriding the national interest in the fight against the pandemic.
Ongoing investigations by The Chronicle have revealed that some of these laboratories either inadvertently or deliberately wrongly diagnosed members of the public who go for the Covid-19 tests from these institutions.
A Tema-based businessman, whose name is being withheld, told The Chronicle that he requested for the Covid-19 premium services of a laboratory, also based in Tema, and was diagnosed as being positive. The worried businessman, armed with the lab report, went to commence treatment at a private facility.
According to him, the symptoms associated with the Covid-19 cases were absent after spending seven days in the private health facility. He, therefore, decide to seek a third opinion from the country’s most trusted medical laboratory, Noguchi, and there the test came out negative.
According to the businessman, a friend prompted him of the possibility of a laboratory reversing the report to read negative for a fee, and when he enquired of the location of the laboratory, it ended up being the same place his test was conducted.
These reports are coming in the wake of an allegation of fraud on social media by a person claiming Ghanaian nationality against the respected laboratory, Noguchi.
The said Ghanaian is alleging that he was about traveling with British Airways, and as a requirement, was asked to undertake a Covid-19 test. According to him, he paid GH¢300 at Noguchi for the test and the result came out positive.
Strangely, he was called back to the centre and after allegedly extorting GH¢500 from him the report was reversed to negative. Another test he conducted in London revealed that he was negative. Noguchi has already begun investigations into this allegation.
A Medical Doctor The Chronicle spoke to did not rule out ‘false negative’ reports depending on the sample taken, but not “intentional reversal” which is a crime.
The post Two labs give conflicting Covid-19 reports appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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