AfricaPress-mozambique: The WHO Representative in Mozambique, Joaquim Saweka, on 11 June handed over three PCR machines, with relevant consumables, to Director-General of the National Health Institute (INS), Doctor Ilesh Jani.
The three machines, valued at approximately US$150,000, were acquired through cooperation funds, and will increase the country’s laboratory testing capacity and by around 1500 samples a day.
The donation raises to five the number of PCR machines made available to the INS by the WHO.
Speaking at the hand-over, The WHo representative congratulated the INS on its response to the Covid 19 pandemic in Mozambique. “A special mention goes to the board and staff of the National Institute of Health (INS), for their effort and commitment to Covid-19 pandemic response activities and beyond,” Joaquim Saweka said.
The Head of Cooperation of Swiss Cooperation for Development in Mozambique, Laila Sheik Ruttimman, expressed her institution’s readiness to continue supporting the Government of Mozambique’s response to the Covid 19 pandemic.
The General Director of the INS thanked the WHO and said that the equipment would be well looked after, and would undoubtedly contribute to increasing the INS’s laboratory capacity.
The office of the World Health Organization in Mozambique has, since the notification of the first Covid-19 cases, made efforts to support the country and the INS in particular in order to better respond to the challenges posed by the disease.
