DA MP Michele Clarke is calling for information on interventions being taken to deal with the persisting toxicology backlog at forensic chemistry laboratories in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria.
There were 37,962 tests outstanding as of October 31 last year, according to minister of health Joe Phaahla in response to a written parliamentary question by the DA. In that month, Clarke said “only” 365 toxicology tests were completed at the three labs.
The minister blamed the backlog on inadequate infrastructure, broken equipment, load-shedding, inadequate water supply, the Covid-19 pandemic and human resources shortages.
The board of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), which took over the laboratories from the department of health in April 2022, agreed in March last year to allocate additional resources to speed up the work.
Clarke said she would seek updated information on the backlog at each lab and how the NHLS has expanded toxicology capacity to deal with this.
TimesLIVE
Toxicology backlog continues at state labs: DA
Image: 123RF
DA MP Michele Clarke is calling for information on interventions being taken to deal with the persisting toxicology backlog at forensic chemistry laboratories in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria.
There were 37,962 tests outstanding as of October 31 last year, according to minister of health Joe Phaahla in response to a written parliamentary question by the DA. In that month, Clarke said “only” 365 toxicology tests were completed at the three labs.
The minister blamed the backlog on inadequate infrastructure, broken equipment, load-shedding, inadequate water supply, the Covid-19 pandemic and human resources shortages.
The board of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), which took over the laboratories from the department of health in April 2022, agreed in March last year to allocate additional resources to speed up the work.
Clarke said she would seek updated information on the backlog at each lab and how the NHLS has expanded toxicology capacity to deal with this.
TimesLIVE
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