The Virology Laboratories of Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana has been equipped with a digital laboratory information system to enable it to expand its COVID-19 testing capacity.

The SchuyLab digital Laboratory Information System (LIS), installed by Healthcare Federation of Ghana (HFG), will expand COVID-19 testing capacity at Noguchi by over 30 percent, and increase the speed of delivering test results.

It will also strengthen the traceability, efficiency, confidentiality, archiving and retrieval of results.

The installation of the system is the first phase of the “LIS for Ghana” Project, with similar installation expected to be done at the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL) in Accra this year.

The “LIS for Ghana” Project is being implemented at a cost of more than GH¢600,000.00 (US$100,000).

Speaking at the opening of the system in Accra, Dr. Rosemary Keatley, Managing Director of Medlab Services Ghana Ltd and a Board member of HFG, said the project would have a major multiplier effect, including the building of sustainable capacity to manage the COVID-19 pandemic on behalf of the people.

Professor Abraham Anang, Director of Noguchi, expressed his gratitude to Dr. Keatley and the project team, as well as donors for the installation of a state-of-the art system.

“We are ramping up the rate of COVID-19 testing, and the SchuyLab system will automate the logging of samples, verification of test results and archiving of data, which previously had to be done manually,” he added.

Madam Janet Chennault, Vice-President of Schuyler House, Inc. said the company was pleased to contribute its quota toward Ghana’s fight against the pandemic.

She added that Schuyler House would continue to make good tools that could be used to increase the efficiency of health care and improve the human condition.

Mr. Julian Opuni, Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Ghana, on her part, said living up to the Bank’s brand promise of ‘Together We’re More’, it would continue to support the government and other institutions that were at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19.

“We believe that it is very important to support Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research with modern equipment that will increase their testing capacity to help Ghana defeat the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

SchuyLab was developed by the US software developer Schuyler House Inc, a CompuGroup Medical company, based in California, and has been installed in over 1,000 laboratories worldwide, including the US, Canada, the Caribbean, East Asia and Africa.

The system has been in use at Synlab Ghana Ltd (formerly Medlab Ghana Ltd) since 2011.

The installation of the LIS project is 80 percent funded by private donors with the remainder provided by the COVID-19 National Trust Fund.

Notable donors include the Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund, Fidelity Bank Ghana Ltd, Sir Sam Jonah, the Leibinger family of Germany, Medlab Services Ghana Ltd, SchuylerHouse Inc., and some anonymous donors in Switzerland.