National Aviation Services (NAS), a leading global aviation services provider, recently donated Rapid Diagnostic Testing (RDT) kits to the Covid-19 National Task Force formed by the Ugandan Ministry of Health.

These IgG/IgM Antibody RDT kits will complement the ongoing serosurvey and other targeted tests to estimate the proportion of the population that have developed immunity against Covid-19. The test gives results within 10-15 minutes either with serum or whole blood specimens.

The 7000 kits were urgently flown into Entebbe International Airport on special arrangement from the company’s head office in Kuwait.

Nouamane Zahouani, General Manager of NAS Uganda managed the handover to Dr. Diana Atwiine, Permanent Secretary, Ugandan Ministry of Health.

Formerly known as Entebbe Handling Services Limited (ENHAS), NAS Uganda is the largest ground handling service provider at the Entebbe International Airport.

Commenting on the donation, Zahouani said “NAS is a global company with a strong local presence in Uganda. Finding RDT kits for local testing was going slow due to the logistical challenges under the current lockdown. As a ground handling company, we procured the kits in Kuwait and utilized our experience and expertise to facilitate the process. Working with our partner DHL, we had the kits flown to Uganda within three weeks. At the airport, we also did the needful to have them cleared and delivered to the Task Force as soon as possible.”

NAS has a presence in over 45 airports across Africa, Middle East and South Asia and provides ground handling services to seven out of the top ten airlines. The company also operates 45 airport lounges and has a wide portfolio of services including cargo management, engineering and line maintenance, airport technologies, fixed base operations, terminal management, aviation training, travel solutions, and meet-and-assist packages.

Hassan El-Houry, Group CEO of NAS highlighted “We are pleased to be able to assist the Ugandan Ministry of Health with the required rapid testing which is the need of the hour. As a global company, NAS has a strong social responsibility towards the communities we work in. Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are driving efforts to help where can in the fight against the disease. This includes managing uninterrupted supply chains, handling evacuee flights and this small contribution to the Covid-19 National Task Force in Uganda.”