By Anya C. Anya

The Abia State molecular laboratory , a project initiated by the Abia State Government through the ministry of health in partnership with Abia development Summit has been completed and is ready for commissioning. A source within the state Executive council said the ” molecular laboratory project was initiated on the premise that it was necessary to have several testing centre for coronavirus or COVID-19 in Abia state .”

This project having been completed will increase the testing capacity of the state in regard to Covid 19 testing . It will also reduce the cost and time that were initially being spent to send samples to other neighbouring state for the testing and confirmation of coronavirus Positive cases including a reduction in the inherent challenges and risk which could have be encountered in the process of transiting samples from the state to other state where NCDC testing laboratory centres started before Abia built thiers .

It will interest you to know that Abia State was one among the states in the country that at the peak of the pandemic was without a molecular laboratory centre where coronavirus test, among other tests could be conducted. This resulted to Samples of suspected COVID-19 or Coronavirus patients being transported to Ebonyi state and other state with NCDC approved testing facilities for testing.

This according to the state ministry of health was having its own associated room for risks and other attendant inconveniences. To cushion the effect of this risk and inherent inconveniences, the state government led by Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu started making effort to built her own laboratory and testing centres including isolation centres across the state .

At the long run, to partner with the state ministry of health in raising one among the laboratories , a summit was organized with members drawn across the state comprising good spirited Abians and Captains of industry in the state under the aegis of Abia Development Summit.

Prince Chris Odinaka Igwe, a Lagos-based business mogul and a native of Umunneochi who is part of the summit and contributed immensely to the success of the project said the project is a welcome development and necessary at this auspicious period.”This project is indeed a step in the right direction at this moment, it will help speed up COVID-19 testing in Abia State and make sure more Abians get to know their status”

Few months ago . the Abia State Governor Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu visited the Molecular Laboratory to inspect the level of work done and whether or not the equipment necesary for the laboratory to start fucntioning fully ready, the Governor Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu who was represented by the Deputy Governor of Abia State Rt. Hon. Ude Oko Chukwu tour round the building and inspected the equipment available to enable the Laboratory take off .

The Deputy Governor of Abia state, Rt. Hon. Sir Ude Oko Chukwu who was accompanied to the visit by the Comissioner for Health and The Commissioner for Trade and Investment appreciated the contractor handling the project and the Abia State Development Submit for the pace in the project. according to him ” I am here to visits the Molecular Center at Aba to ascertain the level of work done and thier preparedness to receive some equipment meant to be used in the Center.”

While Speaking to AFNEWS after the inspection Prince Chris Odinaka Igwe said “The Abia molecular laboratory project is a partnership between the ABIA development summit and ABIA state government, The ABIA development summit according to the arrangement is to build the structure while the ABIA state government is expected to equip it with modern COVID 19 laboratory equipments “

” So far , the ABIA development summit has completed the building project at the premises of the General hospital Aba .The ABIA state government have imported all the laboratory equipments and installed them”.

Now the project has been completed with all necessary equipment fully installed by the state government, Mainland oil is inviting the general public to the commissioning of the project on 17th September 2020 . Information available to AFNEWS is that the project would be commissioned by The Executive Governor of Abia State Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu via a zoom a meeting at 11: 00 AM.