GranKaz donates specialised clinical lab test kits to Ministry of Health |21 May 2022
(L to r) Ms Cecile, Ms Amesbury and Dr Rapanarilala during the handover of the donation (Photo: Thomas Meriton)
GranKaz has donated twenty specialised clinical laboratory test kits (Xpert BCR-ABL-10) to the Ministry of Health.
The donation, which was received by the deputy chief executive of the Health Care Agency, Kathleen Cecile, goes directly to the Oncology Unit to be used for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia patients.
“We are grateful to GranKaz for their third donation of the year and we have already put the kits in the laboratory as they are sensitive to temperature change. GranKaz has sort of adopted the Oncology Unit and we are happy to see private companies coming forward to help make our health system better,” shared Mrs Cecile.
The marketing, public relations and communication manager of GranKaz, Shama Amesbury, handed over the kits to the HCA.
“Leukaemia, as you may know, is cancer of the body's blood-forming tissues, including bone marrow and the lymphatic system. There are many types of leukaemia that exist and they affect people of all ages and ethnicities. Certain subtypes are more common in children, while others are more common in adults. According to the Leukaemia Research Foundation in the USA the survival rate over a 5-year period for the majority of subtypes of leukaemia is over 70%, but you need to detect it and treat it early,” explained Ms Amesbury.
She further noted that Leukaemia symptoms are often vague and not specific and early leukaemia symptoms can often be overlooked because they may resemble symptoms of the flu and other common illnesses. This in itself may cause delays in detection.
“To date, blood samples taken at the hospital are being sent overseas for analysis. This is both costly and time consuming. Today, we are donating 20 test kits, which should be sufficient to last the hospital an entire year. The Xpert BCR-ABL Ultra is an in vitro diagnostic test for the diagnosis and monitoring of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). With a 2.5 hours total process time, it provides same day results which supports informed clinical decisions; the faster results also help reduce patient anxiety and frees up technician time for other lab services. The donation of these kits will not only make the process more cost effective for the hospital, but will also save time and help the blood testing unit staff to more efficiently diagnose, monitor and manage CLM treatment in patients,” shared Ms Amesbury.
Dr Johanna Rapanarilala, senior medical officer at the Oncology Unit, thanked GranKaz for once again assisting them to get these kits from the US as they were closing the consultation with the company.
“These kits will be available to use for a year or so and help to bring better care to the patients,” the doctor said.
Vidya Gappy