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Sydney Mubaiwa Masvingo Correspondent

Private clinics have been warned against testing, isolating and treating Covid 19 patients  as some of their test kits do not comply with Ministry of Health and Child Care, and World Health Organisation (WHO) specifications and these can cause a danger to patients and communities.

Briefing the media after visiting Ndanga District Hospital isolation centre, Masvingo provincial Minister of State Ezra Chadzamira said such facilities may produce  inaccurate test results and they are Illegal as they had not been officially assessed and registered by the Health Ministry.

He  said people should stop visiting   these unregistered Covid 19 clinics as they are  illegal and whoever is involved in such has to stop immediately as all rapid test kits  and treatment materials have to be initially evaluated for their specificity and sensitivity by responsible organisations like the National Micro Biology Reference Laboratory.

“We have received information that there are a number of private clinics which are operating as Covid 19 clinics.”

“As Government, we strongly oppose this because these organisations are not following the WHO laid down specifications,” he said.

Following the declaration of of the Covid 19 pandemic as a National Disaster by President Mnangagwa,all efforts have been put in place to ensure that a whole  of Government and private sector approach to the national response is in place.

“Government therefore welcome offers by several private institutions to support the management of the Covid 19 cases.”

“As Government,we strongly oppose those private clinics operating as Covid 19 centers and we would like to remind stakeholders that management of infectious diseases and Formidable Epidemic Diseases in the country is guided by provisions of the Public Health Act.”

“Because the Covid 19 infection is an infectious diseases that was declared a fomidable epidemic,any private facility intending to manage it including testing, isolating and treating should apply to the Health Ministry for assessment and approval,” he said.

“Government has decentralized  coronavirus testing centres in each province, down to the districts and I am sure that every isolation facility in the province  have the  important facility as we are moving forward with the fighting against the Covid 19 pandemic,” he said.

Minister Chadzamira said it was a duty of the health  ministry to follow the World Health Organisation  protocol of testing, isolating and treating and those who fall within the case definition of the coronavirus as well as testing those who would have travelled from Covid-19 affected countries and their contacts.

He also reiterated that, individuals who want to know their Covid-19 status are not restricted and can be tested at registered healthcare facilities that utilise approved Covid-19 testing systems.

“The danger of being  tested at unregistered facility is  that it  can come  up with inaccurate results. As an example, if someone erroneously tests negative while in actual fact they are positive they will then spread the virus thinking that they are safe until their clinical picture changes,” he added.

Some private clinics have been operating illegally as  Covid 19 facilities across the country.

Currently, the Government is using a testing protocol referred to as polymerase  (PCR) chain reaction methods which takes at least five hours for the results to come out.