KUALA LUMPUR: Mandatory screening of passengers arriving at South Sudan's Juba International Airport has begun following the delivery of the first batch of Bioalpha Holdings Bhd's (BHB) Covid-19 screening products.
Managing director William Hon said the company is already seeing contributions from its venture in South Sudan under its first shipment of 100,000 Covid-19 Rapid Test Kit (RTK) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test kits to South Sudan in September 2021.
"Following authorisation from South Sudan's Ministry of Health, our partner Crawford Laboratory Ltd of the Republic of South Sudan has started the Covid-19 screening services using our solutions exclusively at the Juba International Airport.
"Soon, the screening services will be extended to the second entry point, the Nimule border crossing.
"With the successful delivery of the maiden batch, we are now making preparations for the second shipment of the test kits to South Sudan," William said in a statement today.
To recap, BHB, on 28 July 2021, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Crawford to exclusively undertake Covid-19 screening services at two locations in South Sudan, namely at the Juba International Airport and the Nimule border crossing.
Under the MoA, BHB and Crawford collaborate to establish Covid-19 screening facilities at selected sites, with BHB supplying the screening equipment and products and the transfer of technical know-how.
The products include the PCR test kits and the RTK, which are priced at US$20 for locals and US$50 for foreigners.
"With the support of the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, we believe that this is a timely collaboration as international borders reopen and Covid-19 testing facilities become increasingly critical in breaking the transmission of the virus.
"All inbound travellers into South Sudan are required to be screened upon arrival, and the ability to process the test results quickly is critical to contain the virus spread.
"The Covid-19 PCR test kits we supply can produce results within 40 minutes, as compared to the standard waiting time of up to 48 hours," William said.
He said the Covid-19 screening solutions are fully integrated with the EACPass, which verify and consolidate the health status of travellers in the EAC nations.
This allows for the safe resumption of cross-border travels within the EAC region.
"At the same time, we are also in talks with the EAC Secretariat to replicate the services to the other five EAC countries, namely Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda," William said.