Corporate News
Dr Ahmed Kalebi, the Lancet Kenya CEO. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU
By SARAH OOKO
In Summary
- Lancet, an independent medical laboratory network, will collect blood and urine samples from any location in the country.
- Once the results are ready, the company will notify clients to access them through a special, secure and restricted web portal.
- If the samples test positive for any STI, patients are linked with doctors for treatment who equally guarantee their privacy.
Lancet Group has devised an anonymous testing and
result notification system in a bid to encourage more Kenyans to go for
testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Under the initiative Lancet, an independent medical
laboratory network, will collect blood and urine samples from any
location in the country.
Once the results are ready, the company will notify
clients to access them through a special, secure and restricted web
portal.
Lancet Kenya CEO Ahmed Kalebi said demand for STI
laboratory services remains high in Kenya, but lack of privacy has kept
many people away.
“We are hoping to change that by safeguarding the
identity of patients,” said Dr Kalebi. The firm will also dispatch kits
for collecting samples to clients in sealed packages through courier
services and return them for lab testing.
If the samples test positive for any STI, patients are linked with doctors for treatment who equally guarantee their privacy.
To further increase their levels of privacy, Lancet
will identify clients — throughout the testing and treatment process —
by anonymous codes or false names.
Dr Kalebi noted that people often seek tests when
they show symptoms suggestive of STIs or when they want to ascertain
their health status before starting new relationships.
Recent data from the Kenya National Aids & STI
Control Programme (Nascop) shows that majority of Kenyans, especially
the youth, do not like running into family members and neighbours when
entering, utilising, or leaving sexual health facilities.
According to the World Health Organisation, there
are more than 30 different sexually transmissible bacteria, viruses and
parasites.
The most common conditions they cause include gonorrhoea, chlamydial infection, syphilis, genital herpes, HIV and hepatitis B.
Several, in particular HIV and syphilis, can also
be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy and childbirth, and
through blood products and tissue transfer.
The WHO statistics indicate that more than 1 million people acquire an STI each day worldwide.
The diseases can be effectively controlled through sex education, counselling and use of condoms.
No comments :
Post a Comment