Cost of DNA test in Ghana + Hospitals that do DNA test in Ghana

Cost of DNA test in Ghana + Hospitals that do DNA test in Ghana, DNA centres in Ghana, Accra and Kumasi.

Paternity fraud, maternity fraud and disputed babies is on the increase in Ghana. Today I have decided to talk the about DNA paternity test, the cost and where to do the test in Ghana.

Let me tell you some of the reasons why people come to request a DNA test.

1. Visa processes( American and Canadian visas usually ask for a test if you are filling for your child, sibling etc).

2. Men who deny pregnancies, The woman or her family can do a test.

3. Stolen babies

4. Two women fighting for the same baby( it’s not only in the Bible, we have seen such cases in this time too)

5. Women who genuinely want to ascertain the father of their child.

6. Trust issues in relationships and marriages. Some women have been vindicated through this process.

7. Some people submit their non blood relations to their Organization as their children to get medical and other benefits. Organizations can do a DNA if they suspect that the children are not yours.

READ ALSO: DNA centres in Nigeria including cost.

Paternal testing is a DNA blood test to confirm the biological relationship between a presupposed father and a child/children. DNA testing for family genetics is usually focused on the father because the child is carried by the mother in pregnancy, with an exception for IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) cases and surrogacy.

A DNA paternity test is the gold standard by both the scientific and legal communities when it comes to accurately establishing a relationship between a possible father and a child.

Please note that a paternity test cannot be used to determine proof of relationship for other biological connections like aunt, uncle, sibling, grandparent, etc. It also does not provide information about ancestry, the age or race of an individual.

Hospitals that do DNA test in Ghana

Not many hospitals do DNA test in Ghana. It is a very sophisticated test that requires special skills and equipments. These are the DNA centres in Ghana..

1. The Trust Specialist Hospital Kuku hill Osu Accra. +233 30 279 7147

2. DNA Dignostics Center (DDC) has operations in Accra, Ghana. DDC Ghana

Location: Accra

7th Floor GNAT Heights

30 Independence Avenue

Ridge, Accra

Tel: +233-302932267

Tel: 0540990799

************

Location: Kumasi

Yaa Taah Arcade

Anloga Junction

Kumasi

Tel: 0209751178

3. Synlab Ghana

4. MDS-Lancet Laboratories – Tema

5. Scientellect Biomedical Laboratory

6. Marie Stopes Ghana, Kokomlemle Centre

7. Medlab Ghana

8. Metropolis Healthcare Ghana Limited, Accra

9. Nyaho Medical Centre, Accra

10. The DNA Testing Lab – MMA Ghana

11. UCMAS Ghana

12. IOM Migration Health Assessment Centre (MHAC), Accra

13. Rayben Diagnostics, Kumasi Ghana

14. Korle Bu DNA Centre.

What is the process for paternity testing and how does it work?

Paternity testing is a sensitive matter. Most labs require that all persons be physically present at the time of sample collection. Both persons need to provide written consent for the tests to be done. The paternal test samples are signed by each of the persons before they are sealed for security reasons by the authorised phlebotomist who collected the samples.

Consent of parties:

To proceed with a paternity test, each party (man and woman) must provide their consent in written format. Consent forms are provided at the laboratory when you come for the sample collection.

Required documents for DNA paternity test :

Valid identification of both parents is required. Most labs like SYNLAB accepts:

👉International passport

👉Driver’s license

👉National ID card

We require the following documents for the child/children

👉Birth certificate of each child

👉Two passport photographs per child

The mother is required to accompany the child for identification, and to provide signed consent where the child is below legal consent age (18 years).

Confirmation of the actual biological paternity can only be achieved if the father, mother and the child are tested together. However, the father and child can be tested alone if the purpose of the test is for exclusion only.

In cases where a parent is no longer alive at the point of DNA testing, additional legal documentation evidencing the legal guardian status of the requestor is necessary. Alternatively, a marriage and death certificate of the requesting party will suffice.

Sample collection and testing:

The standard process involves collecting DNA samples from the inside of the cheek of both the father and the child/children using an oral swab. Once the sample is received in the laboratory, the DNA is extracted from the cells, amplified and analyzed using a baseline of genetic markers. The result from the analysed data is calculated to determine the probability of a biological relationship.

Where an oral swab is unavailable, special samples may be collected using hair, tissue, or blood.

COST OF DNA TEST IN GHANA

The avearge of DNA paternity test in Ghana is around GHC 2,500 – GHC 3,500 Ghana Cedis.. The price of DNA test in Ghana may be lower than this depending on the lab and your location.

Paternity test can also be done during pregnancy through processes known as amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. Paternity test during pregnancy is invasive and very expensive… DNA paternity test during pregnancy may be as high as GHC 5,000 – GHC 10,000 Ghana Cedis.

Credit: SYNLAB