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{
    "id": 1023106,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1023106/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 345,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Seme, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) James Nyikal",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 434,
        "legal_name": "James Nyikal",
        "slug": "james-nyikal"
    },
    "content": "The third part of the Question was on measures the Ministry is putting in place to ensure that the tests carried out in various laboratories meet the scientific attributes of reliability, validity and consistency. The Ministry has developed COVID-19 Test Laboratory Quality Assurance Guidelines. This document is designed to standardise all phases of testing prior to release of results and provide corrective action guidance in the event of result discrepancy. The Ministry has also set up COVID-19 Laboratory Proficiency Testing Scheme, a programme that involves a comprehensive quality assurance mechanism where all phases of testing are monitored. Let me summarise this. If two laboratory tests are different, the first people to deal with this are the two laboratories, before the patient is involved in this. That is so that they check each other. There is then a peer review. How come yours is positive and ours is negative? What are the reasons? The technical people will then agree on those reasons and what is released to the patient is with an explanation. For example, if it is a six-day difference, it may be that you are at the final stages of the illness and, therefore, you are positive. If you are tested later, you are found negative. Since many people are asymptomatic, that difference cannot be seen. So, it is for the labs to say why there is a difference. We even advised - and they agreed - that there are quick antibody tests which can say you have been in touch with the virus but you are now not sick. So, the positive could have been positive but you are now okay. Hon. Speaker, we could go into more details but that summarises the problem that many people have been facing with these issues. Thank you, Hon. Speaker."
}