Health
Delta to start local Lassa fever testing by 2027
By Efecha Gold
Residents of Delta State may soon no longer have to travel to neighbouring states for specialised psychiatric treatment or wait for disease samples to be analysed outside the state.
This followed the state government’s ongoing construction of its first neuropsychiatric facility and a specialised public health laboratory, both expected to be completed by March 2027.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Onojaeme, disclosed this in an interview with journalists, saying the projects were designed to address major gaps identified in the state’s healthcare system.
Onojaeme said the government conducted a needs assessment shortly after Governor Sheriff Oborevwori assumed office in 2023 and discovered the absence of a dedicated neuropsychiatric hospital and a specialised public health laboratory.
He explained that residents requiring psychiatric care had often been forced to seek treatment outside Delta, particularly in Port Harcourt and Benin.
According to the commissioner, the situation has become more concerning with the growing challenges of drug abuse and mental health problems in society.
He said the new neuropsychiatric facility would bring specialised mental healthcare closer to residents while reducing the cost and inconvenience of travelling outside the state for treatment.
The commissioner also said the new public health laboratory would address another major challenge that became obvious during the COVID-19 pandemic and other disease outbreaks.
Onojaeme said Delta had previously depended on specialised laboratories in Irrua, Abuja and Lagos to analyse some samples collected during outbreaks.
He noted that transporting samples outside the state could delay the release of results, which could affect the speed of the government’s response to infectious diseases.
“With a Lassa fever outbreak, we no longer need to send our samples to other states to analyse and bring back. That will be done in Delta State,” he said.
The commissioner said the laboratory would be equipped with modern diagnostic equipment, including Polymerase Chain Reaction machines, to support testing for infectious diseases.
He added that the facility was being developed to meet the standards of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, with the aim of ensuring that its laboratory results met acceptable standards.
Onojaeme said he recently inspected the laboratory to assess the progress of construction and expressed confidence that the project would be completed by March 2027.
He said the two projects represented major investments in Delta’s healthcare infrastructure and would improve access to specialised medical services.
The commissioner added that the public health laboratory would also strengthen the state’s ability to detect and respond quickly to disease outbreaks without depending heavily on facilities outside Delta.
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