But, it's not quite that simple as the Director of Health Services
explained today on "Ask The Experts".
Manzanero explained that the type of PCR testing units that Belize has
- which were provided by PAHO - are simply not compatible with what was
on offer:
Dr. Marvin Manzanero - Director of Health Services
"We had said to the lab can you review this specifications, is this
something we're going to be able to work with and they had 3 basic
concerns which is general compatibility of reagent components with
primers and probes and I'm reading textually what is written, whether
they are compatible with the enzyme that they were using, whether the
tests have been validated in the region, they said basically advice
from the international forums of web discussions, so that you are able
to establish performance characteristics based on our population and
the 3rd concern because again, I had mention the issue of training, if
any training of specialised knowledge was needed for perpetration of
master mixes, is that going to be provided since the labs that they
have no knowledge of this testing kit that was being given. Those are
little foot notes that I think made us indicate to the respective
ministry that was in communication with CABAY that what we were looking
for is and we said the specific platform, this is what we're using,
this is where our staff has been trained because you understand that
accepting test kits, you have to find out if you have the equipment,
you have the testing capability, whether those have been validated,
whether we need any specific abrasion measures for the machine that is
going to be used and even if we procure any machines, the maintenance
capability in country. The analogy perhaps it may look good, but it
doesn't necessarily mean it works and this is like a marriage,
sometimes marriages look good but it's not always compatible, that's I
think perhaps the best explanation I can give you. Again, recall that
the kits that initially came to us were from PAHO, we never said no."
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