The Ghana Association of Biomedical Laboratory Scientists (GABMLS) have disclosed that it will not run free coronavirus tests for people who walk into government approved laboratories without referrals from hospitals.

According to the Association, an individual who avails him/herself for a COVID-19 test would require a referral letter from an approved hospital before tests are run on the individual.

The Public Relations officer of GABMLS, Dr. Dennis Adu Gyamfi stated that individuals who require a test would have to go through a process before they are attended to.

“You just don’t walk into a laboratory saying you are going to do a COVID test,” Dr. Dennis Adu Gyasi told Citi FM as monitored by GhanaWeb.

He added, “It must be requested, it must go through the Surveillance Outbreak Response Analyses tool or system, that it is where nationally we can all see the data that is coming from laboratories and we use it to manage what we are having from our end.”

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his 23rd address to the nation on the measures introduced to deal with the virus reiterated that coronavirus testing for Ghanaians in the country is free.

However, Dr. Dennis Adu Gyasi insists the demands are in line with laid down proceedings and thus, “the test is free but you don’t walk into the laboratory”.