With the signing of the agreement by the Directorate of Military Health and the National Institute of Health, the Reference and Research Laboratory of the National Army will begin to process the tests to detect possible cases of Covid-19.
With the notification of Covid-19 cases in Latin America, the National Army Health Directorate, through the Operational Health office, a prevention plan was launched in order to mitigate the risk of contagion in people. First, guidelines focused on protection in military units were issued and in the same way the Reference and Research Laboratory has been strengthened as diagnostic support during the pandemic. This will have the ability to process 200 tests a day on users of the Health Subsystem of the Military Forces.
Nationally recognized for scientific and research work in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of diseases of public health interest such as leishmaniasis, the National Army Laboratory was conditioned for the process of Covid-19 tests to obtain materials for the production and transportation of samples.
The tests that will be carried out by the laboratory will comply with molecular techniques in accordance with the protocols established at the international and national level. The certification process granted by the National Institute of Health in the same way included technology transfer in the molecular diagnosis of Covid-19 to be implemented in accordance with the Berlin protocol, whose molecular screening and evaluation process is implemented in several countries.
In the same way, as a containment measure, the army's Epidemiological Surveillance team was trained by the District Health Secretary of Bogotá in the taking of samples and transportation according to IATA biosafety regulations, aimed at all the Military Forces. It should be noted that this laboratory will process the tests of members of the National Navy and the Colombian Air Force, as well as users of the Central Military Hospital.
The strengthening of this capacity of the National Army was in the same way materialized with the refurbishment of the facilities in record time in compliance with the minimum requirements according to the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization and the National Institute of Health.
In this way, and ratifying its commitment to the country, the National Army joins other institutions that have been contributing with their laboratories with the process of Covid-19 tests. At the same time it is taking measures to preserve the health of active military and other users beneficiaries of the health subsystem of the Military Forces.
Source: press - National Army Health Directorate
