The Lagos State Government has partnered Sterling Bank Plc in delivering private COVID-19 testing requests through the Lagos Biobank.
The biobank is a digital platform developed by the Lagos State Government to meet the increasing demand for COVID-19 testing, followed decentralisation of testing in the state.
According to a statement on Sunday, the Lagos Biobank has handled more than 5,000 requests from individuals since inception.
The statement added that the initiative was inaugurated by the state government to ensure equitable access, accelerated testing and improved case management for residents of the state in a bid to harmonise data from public and private testing centres in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, in the statement, said, “It is important to reiterate that the Lagos State Government, through the Lagos Biobank, still makes prompt and reliable COVID-19 tests accessible to residents at no cost for the public health emergency response.”
The commissioner said the state would continue to regulate the activities of private laboratories approved for COVID-19 testing.
The Divisional Head, Health and Education Sectors, Sterling Bank, Obinna Ukachukwu, said, “We are delighted to support the Lagos State Government to deliver the Lagos Biobank platform which is accelerating COVID-19 testing for Lagos residents, and relieving the burden on the public health infrastructure in the state.
“This initiative, which expands the COVID-19 response capacity in Nigeria’s most populous state, has improved testing capacity, identification of active infections, case management and contact tracing.”
