Photos by WHO-Mesake Taukolo

A new pre-built laboratory to test COVID-19, opened at Vaiola Hospital, on 7 December, will also have the capacity to detect priority pathogens such as influenza and dengue.  

Supported by the World Health Organization with funding from the Government of India via the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, the laboratory has capacity for real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) COVID-19 testing. 

The Minister of Health, Hon. Dr Saia Piukala said COVID-19 is not yet over and in Tonga testing remains a priority.

“During the pandemic we have strengthened our laboratory capacities to be able to test COVID-19 quickly and accurately, but also to be able to test for the many other diseases we will face in future. This support from WHO, UN and the Government of India is a welcome development in order for us to boost our testing capacity here in Tonga."

The new laboratory was pre-built in New Zealand using sturdy shipping containers, allowing for quick set-up on arrival at the site in Tonga. 

Testing machines, laboratory supplies, staffing, operational support, and quality assurance programme and training were also provided by WHO with funding from the Government of India. 

Mr. Sanaka Samarasinha, UN Resident Coordinator to Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, said the establishment of this new laboratory is a testament to shared public health agenda between the Government of Tonga and India.

"We are happy to see South-South cooperation in action here in Tonga towards better health and well-being. We thank the Government of India for their contributions and to the Government of Tonga for their leadership in this initiative.”

The new laboratory set-up in Vaiola Hospital will focus on COVID-19 testing but the current infrastructure will also have the capacity to detect priority pathogens such as influenza and dengue.

At the same time, this new container laboratory in Vaiola Hospital will help not only in the ongoing COVID-19 response but will also be critical in the detection and surveillance of potential disease outbreaks in the future, said Dr. Yutaro Setoya, WHO Country Liaison Officer in Tonga. 

“We are proud to support this initiative and glad to see how the Ministry of Health is leveraging the pandemic response to strengthen their laboratory services and overall health systems.” 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, laboratory capacity has been strengthened across the Pacific, with all Pacific Island countries and areas currently equipped, with RT-PCR testing capacity to detect COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.