According to the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS):
1. The NHLS is currently in the process of procuring additional analytical equipment and all vacant positions are being filled to ensure an effective staff complement.
a) Cape Town: the NHLS is in the process of procuring additional instruments to increase testing capacity;
b) Johannesburg: a new building has been identified that will accommodate further expansion of the Johannesburg FCL and the procurement of new analytic instruments is underway for the Johannesburg FCL; and
c) Pretoria: new positions have been created in the new Pretoria laboratory, toxicology section, and the posts are currently being filled. All new toxicology samples will be referred to the new facility while the existing one focuses only on processing backlogged toxicology samples only.
2. (a) The NHLS is still in the process of identifying a suitable facility for the Durban Forensic Chemistry Laboratory that would accommodate a new toxicology section;
(b) the Durban FCL will start with toxicology testing as soon as the laboratory has relocated to a new suitable premise.
END.