Paternity/maternity doubt is as ancient as human beings on earth, but its scientific certification with a modern technological means continues to evolve daily, yet Nigeria is far behind this trend of time.
According to reports by Guardian: Nigeria looses over N1b yearly testing DNA samples overseas. S’Africa, UK, U.S. are top beneficiaries. While Forensic laboratory for police stays abandoned. Paternity doubt swells weekly requests for DNA analysis and Local researchers lose grants, decry lack of standard facility.
Nigerians (definitely the very rich ones) keep embracing forensic means to unravel medical mysteries. From paternity/maternity of their children to DNA testing to diagnose cancer.
Find the cost of testing DNA samples overseas (as reported):
The Lagos laboratory charges N70, 000 for a complete paternity DNA test (samples from a father and a child). A United Kingdom-based laboratory, with a branch office in Lagos charges $300 (N51, 000) for a simple paternity test per head. In South Africa, paternity test ranges between N30, 000 and N91, 000 depending on the collection lab visited in Nigeria. (read more after the cut)...
An average lab that receives 20 of such requests per month, at the rate of N80, 000, has spent N19.2 million a year overseas. If 50 out of several laboratories in Lagos alone collect an equal number of samples on a weekly basis, then among them is over N960 million on paternity-related DNA analyses every year.
Lynx DNA Laboratory in Lagos, affiliated with a popular laboratory in the Unites States, gets between three and five requests on the average per week, and 15 on monthly basis. A complete test goes for N80, 000.
DNA banking (to keep samples for posterity lasting between 15 and 25 years at the cost of N60, 000 plus); family reconstruction (N200, 000) or siblingship tests (N150, 000).
This is a fraction of several billions Nigeria loses to medical tourism on a yearly basis. An estimate has it that Nigeria’s capital flight on medical tourism was N250 billion in 2013, almost the size of the 2014 health sector budget put at N264.4 billion and more than half of Lagos 2014 budget size of N489.690b.
The size of our health system, with the current arrangement, is so small because government is the sole financier. How many people can afford between N100, 000 and N300, 000 for DNA testing to diagnose cancer?
Follow link to read full report from Guardian
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