Port-of-Spain, April 9, 2020:   The Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) advise the public that the Ministry of Health has been liaising with private laboratories in Trinidad and Tobago to clarify the process used to test for COVID-19.

In this regard, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) will provide technical oversight to the process which will be led by the MoH. Also, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will assist in quality control/ quality assessment to build a quality assurance programme and involve Trinidad and Tobago in a global external quality assessment (EQA).

As such, all private laboratories that wish to be assessed via this initiative are kindly asked to submit the following information to the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health: 

·         The name of owner(s) of the laboratory

·         The name of the laboratory, and address

·         Contact details (email address and phone number(s)

·         The necessary technical documentation detailing the types of tests being conducted

·         The name and designation of the personnel conducting the COVID-19 tests 

Representatives of private labs can call the Office of the Chief Medical Officer at 627-0010 ext. 1616 or mail submissions and queries to: 

The Office of the Chief Medical Officer,

Ministry of Health, 

#63 Park Street, 

Port of Spain