The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (Comstech), in collaboration with the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) at the University of Karachi (KU), is planning to help OIC institutions in developing diagnostic kits for Covid-19, said Comstech coordinator-general Dr Iqbal Choudhary.
He was addressing an online meeting with scientists and the heads of the OIC institutions networks' virology diagnostic laboratories, from countries including Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Gambia, Senegal, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Egypt. The meeting aimed to explore opportunities for intra-OIC collaborations in building the capacity of these laboratories.
Dr Choudhary, who also heads the ICCBS, mentioned that Comstech was offering two online courses in collaboration with ICCBS and National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, to help scientists develop and test diagnostic kits for coronavirus.
"Comstech has submitted a proposal to the Islamic Development Bank to further enhance the testing capacities of OIC members," he added. As many as 17 OIC institutions have shown their interest in availing the opportunity.
The participants of the meeting underlined the importance of assessing the available facilities, resources and workforce, while calling for the training of technicians, ensuring the availability of skilled manpower and initiating collaborative projects.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2020.
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