The ministry of Health has issued a directive ordering intending travellers requiring Covid-19 testing and certification to pay D3,000 fee to ECOBANK Gambia Limited.
The released read that “The Ministry of Health hereby informs the general public that, with effect from the 11th day of March, 2021, all intending travellers requiring COVID-19 testing and certification will pay an amount of three thousand dalasis (D3,000.00). This fee is payable to the Account outlined below; Account Name: Covid-19 Testing Fees Account number: 6254509543 BBAN: 008101625450954373 Name of the Bank: ECOBANK GAMBIA LTD
“Every traveller is required to pay this fee and present receipt at sample collection sites. Samples are still collected at the Independence Station and Brusubi Turntable near the Ministry of Energy. COVID 19 samples can be collected between 10:00 am and 02:00 pm. The medical team would be available at both sample collection sites at 9am to take your bio-data before sample collections start at10am. Test result (certificate) is however collected at the Central Medical Stores Complex in Kotu between 01.00 pm and 06.00 pm open presentation of bank payment receipt.
“The public is hereby informed that the COVID 19 pandemic continues to pose challenges, considerably overwhelming our health system. Besides, since the reopening of airports and subsequent introduction of new protocols such as mandatory provision of negative COVOD-19 viral tests by travellers within three days of travel period, the cost of testing has exponentially been on increase. It thus becomes imperative to effect this payment scheme to help manage the cost efficiently. The fee can be a reflection of the resource cost laboratory faces for completing COVID diagnosis tests in a timely fashion.”
The Ministry therefore assured the public that Covd-19 tests conducted by the National Public Health Laboratory and the Medical Research Council and London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in The Gambia are effective and safe and urged all to utilize only these two facilities for testing and certification of COVID 19 samples.