Ministry of Health has stated that it will be giving out the GeneXpert machines gifted by the World Health Organization (WHO).

GeneXpert can test a person’s saliva for TB and its resistance within two hours.

Speaking at a ceremony on Tuesday, Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen said that the four GeneXpert machines will be given to health centers in Laamu, Raa, and Lhaviyani atolls as well as Addu City.

Earlier, GeneXpert machines were given to HDh. Kulhufhuffushi Regional Hospital and Dr. Abdul Samad Memorial Hospital as part of the efforts to eliminate TB in Maldives.

While TB tests currently take three days, the GeneXpert machines allow tests and treatment to be done quickly as well as allow early diagnoses.

The government has pledged to eliminate TB in Maldives by 2022.