With the resumption of international flights, the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19 has mandated all airlines to request for Covid-19 certificates from each passenger before they are allowed to board flights.
This means bumper harvest for medical laboratory operators who say they are prepared for whatever it takes to render services to passengers.
Expectation is that this development will boost patronage of laboratories certified to conduct Covid-19 test across Nigeria as well as make them rake in over N742 million every week.
According to the PTF, all intending travellers to Nigeria must have tested negative for Covid-19 by PCR in country of departure pre-boarding and PCR test must be within seven days before departure and preferably within 72 hours pre-boarding.
For certain countries, Covid-19 PCR tests will only be acceptable from specified laboratories and tests done more than seven days before departure are not valid and such persons will not be allowed to board.
However, for the 72-hour minimum, this is only advisory and will not preclude boarding.
With the approval of Murtala Mohammed International Airport and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the Lagos State government and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja have accredited some laboratories for Covid-19 tests.
BDSUNDAY’s checks show that in Lagos, major labs charge N50,400 for each Covid-19 test while major labs across Abuja charge N45,000 for each test carried out.
In a bid to reciprocate flight operations between countries and reduce the number of passengers, airlines will be taking on board, in line with Covid-19 protocols, the PTF on Covid-19 has deliberately reduced the number of flights that will be operated in Lagos airport daily to seven and five in Abuja.
BDSUNDAY’s checks show that daily limit of passengers that will be lifted at the Lagos airport on a daily basis are 1,280 and 925 at Abuja airport.
This implies that with the cost of N50,400 for Covid-19 tests carried out on 1,280 passengers daily, laboratories across Lagos will be raking in N64.5 million on a daily basis, on estimate. For Abuja airport, with the cost of N45,000 for Covid-19 tests carried out on 925 passengers daily, laboratories across Abuja are estimated to rake in N41.6million on a daily basis.
This implies that on a daily basis, labs across Lagos and Abuja will be realizing about N106 million. This brings the sum for Covid-19 tests in Abuja and Lagos to N742million on a weekly basis.
Lagos State has given list of accredited private laboratories for Covid-19 testing to include; SynLab, Ilupeju; 54 Gene, Lekki Phase 1; Medbury Medical, Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja; ClinaLancet, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way; BiologixMedicals, Anthony Village; O2Diagnostics, Festac Access Road, Amuwo Odofin; VcareDiagnostics, Victoria Island; ClinixHealthcare, Alhaji Adejumo Avenue; AfriglobalMedicare, Mobolaji Bank-Anthony Way by Unity B/Stop Ikeja; and Reddington Zaine Laboratories, Bendel Close Victoria Island, Lagos.
According to Sola Oluwole, incident commander, Armoured Shield& Medical Director, Reddington Zainlab, the whole issue around testing at the airport is still evolving, adding that the presidential task force is thinking of instituting some testing at the airport.
Oluwole noted that currently, there is no capability established at the airport yet, as labs are on their own and a lot of labs have been getting requests from individuals who want to travel abroad and those who are coming back into the country for scheduled tests.
He disclosed that test results will be ready between 24 and 72 hours.
“The Reddington Zaine Laboratories currently have the capacity to test 500 samples a day. We are ramping up that capability to 1000 a day. We are mindful of the fact that there are lots of people who are coming back, or people who are travelling. There is going to be a surge of numbers. So, we are getting ready for that.
“Right now, we have been handling 20 to 30 people who need to travel, and we will be able to get their results within 24 hours, even though we say 48 hours,” he said.
Uche Ejiofor, chief medical director, Clinix Healthcare, told BDSUNDAY that as airline resumes, Clinix Healthcare is fully prepared with machines and a purpose-built lab for Covid-19 tests, adding that “it is a lab built outside other labs not within our main lab.”
According to Ejiofor, “We have also gotten a collection centre and what it means is that we do not expect people coming for Covid-19 tests to come to the original facilities. We have six branches of Clinix Healthcare in Lagos but we do not expect them to come to any of our branches. We have a delegated collection center, which has a big space.
The Clinix boss further said: “We also have room for home collections if need be. Staff wise, we have enough staff strength. We have stocked our stores hoping to get more numbers, we are already doing some and, of course, from tomorrow the numbers will increase.
“Clinix and other labs are in tune and we are working together, which is been coordinated by Lagos State. So, they have not said that the test will be coordinated at the airport.”
“At the moment, the information I have is that people will come to us for the test. But if they make provisions for the tests to be conducted at the airport, they will create a space and I do not think that is something that cannot be worked out because once they create the space and give everyone a stand, we have our staffs to collect samples and send to us,” Ejiofor said.
She said there are 11 centres in Lagos that are ready and willing to conduct the tests.
She also clarified that only accredited labs can run the tests for travellers, and that “once you get to the airport, the authorities will login to check if the result is from an approved lab.”
The Federal Government has also released schedules for flight operations for Lagos and Abuja airports from Monday to Friday to help in coordinated check of test certificates by officials.
