Gombe State government says it expended 120 million Naira to site a Molecular Laboratory at the State Specialist Hospital for the testing of Covid-19.
Disclosing this during a report presentation on Wednesday, at the Executive Chamber, Gombe government house, the chairman taskforce on covid-19 Professor Idris Mohammed said approval has been given by Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and testing has since commenced.
According to Mohammed, “Gombe under your stewardship was the first to request the NCDC and the federal ministry of Health to establish such a laboratory in Gombe state.
“Following your observation that the federal authorities were slow or not forthcoming you provided funds for the purchase of the necessary Rear time reverse transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Machine and it accessories as well as approving the upgrading and renovation of the Laboratory at State Specialist Hospital where the molecular laboratory was to be housed. All these caused a lot of money, I believe that as it is contained in the financial report, the Gombe state government has spent nothing less than One hundred and twenty million naira (120,000,000) million naira in establishing this molecular laboratory for covid-19.”
He added that testing is the bedrock for resumption of activities noting that so far Gombe state has tested 11,000 residents.
On his part, the Gombe state Governor Inuwa Yahaya said two additional laboratories will be established adding that the initial one was solely funded by the state government.
“The two coming up one is with the support of North East Development Commission which will be sited within the premises of federal teaching hospital and the one from Tetfund which will be used for both training and testing will be sited in Gombe State University within the clinical session of the institution.
“By the time Gombe has three laboratories, if they are well managed may be number one in terms of testing across the Nation,” he stated.