Point of Care Testing Kits (POCT) have been hailed as a crucial contribution to enhancing access to high-quality healthcare, particularly via accurate and rapid diagnosis, by four medical laboratory experts from some of the nation's top hospitals.
The advent of such kits increased prompt identification of illnesses while also lowering the cost of such diagnosis, according to specialists who all have years of experience working in medical laboratories.
The experts include Dr. Abu Abudu Rahamani, President of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists; Dr. Jacob Akuettey Armah, Head of the Medical Laboratory at the Trust Hospital; Dr. Abarika Abukari; and Dr. Emmanuel Teye Kenney, Chief Executive Officer of Flokefama Company Limited.
The term "point-of-care testing," sometimes known as "near-patient testing," refers to doing a test while the patient is there without the need to send a sample to a lab.
With a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.92% from 2022 to 2030 due to increased market demand as a result of rising illnesses among the population, the worldwide POCT market, which was assessed to be worth $40.6 billion in 2021, is anticipated to expand to $103.2 billion by 2030.
concentrate on quality
In an interview with the Daily Graphic during a Flokefama/Biozek health solution conference in Accra last week, Mr. Kenney stated that although POCTs had been used in hospitals for a long time, the COVID-19 epidemic had made them less effective.
He said that the rise in usage has boosted the availability of cheap, unlicensed, and ineffective test kits on the Ghanaian market.
"These unregistered test kits, if not regulated and checked, would lead to a total mistrust in point-of-care testing among the populace because we know that most of the malaria test kits on the market are not reliable," he warned.
As a significant distributor of such medical supplies, Mr. Kenney remarked that it was crucial to inform the public about these kits and their importance to the nation's healthcare system.
"Flokefam is committed to quality, and Ghanaians can be sure of that. Others are not, however, and we must be vigilant," he stated in reference to Biozek goods.
He explained that, as a result, Flokefama and its partners were nearing completion of the establishment of an IVD/POCT training school to aid in advancing understanding of the technology.
"At this training school, medical professionals with the necessary expertise would receive instruction on how to operate both new and used equipment, including POCT, in vitro diagnostics, and other biomedical devices.
"We at Flokefama are committed to making sure that the facilities that use our Biozek range of IVD products and point-of-care test kits have the best equipment, best laboratory staff training, precision, and quality control so that the results that come out are of the highest caliber and comply with industry standards," he said.
health records
Dr. Rahamani, president of the nation's organization of medical laboratory scientists, said medical supervision is required for the point-of-care testing, and all outcomes must be recorded in the client's file.
For such equipment to continue to have a good influence on the delivery of healthcare in the nation, he said it was crucial to prevent misuse by the general population.
According to Dr. Rahamani, POCT is anticipated to boost therapeutic efficacy and improve patient outcomes.
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