The Nigerian Air Force Medical Services Branch has conducted a One-day COVID-19 Sample Collection Training for its Medical Laboratory Scientists and Technicians.
Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.
Daramola said 34 medical laboratory personnel, comprising 16 scientists and 18 technicians, attended the training as part of capacity building initiatives aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 through early detection by scaling up of testing.
He said the Chief of Medical Services (CMS), Air Commodore Gideon Bako, recalled the earlier NAF training for its personnel, with support from the NCDC and WHO, on patient movement as well as infection prevention and control.
Bako, who was represented by Group Capt. David Babalola, the Director, Professions Allied to Medicine (DPAM), Headquarters NAF, disclosed that those earlier trained had subsequently organised step-down trainings for other laboratory staff.
“I am happy to note that the benefit of the training is already being reaped as all COVID-19 samples of NAF personnel as well as some sister Services are being collected by our trained medical laboratory personnel,” he said.
Some of the areas covered during the one day training were Laboratory Bio-safety; Principles of PPE: Donning and Doffing as well as COVID-19 Sample Collection, Packaging and Transportation.
It also featured elaborate practical demonstrations, with Mrs Ekanem Udoh and Ms Ngozi Pamella from the WHO as facilitators .
