The Director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), University of Ghana, Prof. Abraham Kwabena Annan has denied claims that persons tasked to take samples for testing from COVID-19 patients in Ghana lack the requisite competence.

The former CEO of the Ridge Hospital, Dr. Thomas Anaba in an interview with Kasapa FM alleged that the people recruited to collect throat swabs are not competent enough to undertake such exercise.

Dr. Anaba further called for the list of persons who are taking the samples to be made public, alleging that sixty percent (60%) of samples they’ve taken from Coronavirus patients at Noguchi and other research centres were pure saliva.

“I want the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service to give us the list of people who went down to take the samples. Let’s juxtapose their names by their qualification and experience in taking samples and you’ll see the secret under the deceitful sample taking that Ghana Health Service did.”

But Prof. Abraham Kwabena Annan in an interview with Akwasi Nsiah on Ghana Kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 FM dismissed Dr. Anaba’s claims and urged the public to treat it with the contempt that it deserves.

“Both Noguchi and the Ghana Health Service have standards that we follow in the discharge of our work. Each one of the persons who pick samples for COVID-19 testing is well-trained and has expertise in picking samples whether through the nose, nasal , or throat. These are carefully selected experts who have also trained other people. So these persons are trainer of trainers. Before any of them picks samples for COVID-19 testing we give them orientation and training to the level where they can demonstrate that they are able to pick samples correctly.”