Caption: SHN introduces PCR based testing through TrueNat

Earlier this year, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India reached out to SHN to share their Truenat diagnostic system, which could be used for specized tests at two SHN clinics. While PwC is better known worldwide as Tax/Financial service provider, they have also been working with USAID to support the advancement of global health. Under the agreement with USAID, PwC provides technical assistance to countries' health systems and supply chains to improve the long-term availability of health commodities as part of its Global Health Supply Chain Program. Through PwC India, SHN was introduced to Molbio Diagnostics to run a pilot project in Adabor and Mymensingh clinics, free of cost to SHN. The Truenat system is disease specific and uses ready-to-use and disposable micro-PCR chips to obtain quantitative real time PCR results. These diagnostic units require very little space and the simplicity of their use to test samples is what attracted SHN to consider using this equipment in its clinics. SHN has identified a few reproductive health related tests through this new self-sustaining and scalable model, along with Dengue and Chikungunya for seasonal illnesses. SHN has started the pilot phase in 2 clinics since September 2021, and under the MoU, Molbio has provided 2 complimentary Truenat devices along with disease specific chips. Molbio has also provided the necessary training to the lab technician at those clinics through their partners in Bangladesh. To track the usage of the chips and for analyzing the results, service codes have been generated in the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system.