Selmek Medical Services suspended over fraudulent Covid-19 results
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced suspension of Selmek Medical Services from handling COVID-19 samples over fraudulent Covid-19 results.
According to Dr. Henry G Mwebesa, Director, Health Services , the decision to suspend Selmek is on backdrop of increasing reports of the facility issuing fake Covid-19 results
"Through reports from Entebbe International Airport and other laboratory results, MOH observed a high rate of fraudulent COVID-19 results associated with Selmek Medical Services." Mwebesa noted.
Mwebesa added that Selmek was not accredited as a sample collection point and thus has been handling Covid-19 samples illegally.
He thus instructed all COVID-19 testing laboratories to stop receiving COVID-19 samples from Selmek Medical Services with immediate effect.
It's worth noting that to-date, only 25 laboratories are accredited by the ministry of health to carry out COVID testing across the country.
The accredited laboratories include; Uganda Virus Research Institute, Central Public Health Laboratory, Infectious Disease Laboratory, Makerere Hospital, Mild May, Joint Clinical Research Center, MBN Laboratories, ANCA Biotech, Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, Case Clinic, MSF-Epicenter, Rakai Health Sciences, Text Xpress, Same Day Laboratory and Adjumani Mobile Laboratory.
Other mobile laboratories include; Tororo and Mutukula.
Selmek's suspension comes at a time as the government continues to tackle rampant reports of travelers especially at Entebbe Airport, carrying negative Covid-19 certificates but later testing positive for the virus.
As a result, several travellers especially migrant workers at the airport have on several occasions been denied travel out of the country something that has hurt labour exporting companies.
Recently, government directed that all the travellers arriving or departing from Uganda will have to present a negative PCR COVID-19 test certificate issued within 72 hours before their travel as opposed to the earlier 120-hour timeline.
Government said the decision to revise the timeline was against the background that Uganda was experiencing a resurgence in Covid-19 coupled with a number of deadly Variants circulating across the country.
