A new rapid test for Covid-19 can return results in just 12 minutes, Deputy Minister of Health said.
The test could speed the passage of patients through hospital emergency departments and travel emergencies.
A pilot programme was carried out at Kotoka International Airport which has been successful so far. Allowing airlines to operate both locally and international with highest safety protocols.
He said: “We should be encouraged by this.”
He said there had been many positive innovations across the health service.
He confirmed the new rapid test for emergency departments, the LumiraDX nasal swab, returned results in 12 minutes. It detects the Covid-19 antigen protein.
Mr Bernard Oko Boi said it will enable health staff to “very quickly identify patients who do not have Covid-19”.
This will help decide what type of care to provide, the health minister added.
Mr Oko Boi said: “The pressures on our hospital system have been well publicized.
“One of the areas currently experiencing significant pressure are our emergency departments, where patients with Covid-19 and those with other medical conditions both arrive seeking help.
“Being able to identify more quickly that a patient does not have the SARS-CoV-2 virus will benefit staff in the emergency department and our system as a whole.”
The Lumira DX testing technology has been validated locally by scientists in the Regional Virology Laboratory in Ghana working collaboratively with staff in the Nuguchi Research Centre.
Mr Oko Boi added: “Lumira DX testing kits have now been delivered to all trusts who are finalizing arrangements for their use and I look forward to seeing this testing technology used to support care of emergency department patients in the coming week or so.