Congo's first 'Drive-Thru' COVID-19 testing facility established with MDA
MDA chief: 'We are happy to share knowledge... for the sake of saving human lives'
By AARON REICHMDA video instructions for the Congo's Drive Thru coronavirus testing (Credit: Magen David Adom)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo established the country's first "drive-thru" coronavirus testing facilities, after seeking the advice and expertise of Magen David Adom.MDA's drive-thru testing facilities have been in operation in Israel since the crisis first came to the country, and have proved very effective in widening the breadth of testing for the virus.Due to its success, Congo's Honorary Consul in Israel Dan Gertler asked MDA for advice and assistance in setting up similar facilities. MDA agreed and created a dedicated software to manage the Congo's drive-thru facilities, which officially began operation at the end of May. In addition, MDA personnel prepared a training program that incorporates both videos and written procedures. The program has been given to the medical workers operating the Congolese facilities.Congolese Health Minister Dr. Eteni Longondo and Health Ministry director-general Sylvain Yuma Ramazani visited the Congolese facilities and expressed their gratitude to MDA for their cooperation."During the long period in which we operated the many 'drive-thru' sampling facilities, the technology we used proved itself, along with the effective and safe practices that enabled the safety of the suspected infected and the teams," MDA's chief information officer Ido Rosenblat said in a statement."From the moment [the Congo] contacted us, we were ready to help during this difficult time to set up the 'Drive Thru' sampling facilities in Congo and to share our knowledge.""The medical capabilities and technologies of Magen David Adom, along with the methods we are developing, are among the most advanced in the world," MDA director-general Eli Bin explained."In light of the fight against coronavirus, we have gained extensive experience in obtaining thousands of samples a day efficiently and safely, and now we are happy to share knowledge with other medical entities around the world for the sake of saving human lives."