This week, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) Acting Country Director Suzanne Theroux and Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State commissioned the newly renovated molecular laboratory at Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Makurdi in Benue State. The lab was renovated with funds and technical assistance from the U.S. CDC via the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Using state-of-the-art medical laboratory technology, the lab can now conduct HIV viral load and early infant diagnosis testing, as well as molecular tests for other priority diseases including tuberculosis, COVID-19, hepatitis, and HPV.
Lab commissioning 1: His Excellency, Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, and U.S. CDC Acting Country Director Suzanne Theroux cutting the ribbon at the newly commissioned molecular laboratory at Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi
In her remarks, Ms. Theroux stated that FMC Makurdi is now a model lab for the rest of Nigeria and commended their focus on quality management. The high-quality data provided by the lab not only helps facilitate integrated service delivery for patients at healthcare facilities but also strengthens the state’s capacity to detect and quickly respond to disease threats.
FMC Makurdi currently tests more than 200,000 patient samples annually, making it one of the top molecular labs in the PEPFAR-Global Fund-supported molecular lab network.