N. Sparks, Z. Ryklief and E.D. du Toit
Provincial Laboratory for Tissue Immunology, Cape Town, South Africa

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In an economically challenged New South Africa, there is at present still going to be a need for routine serology compared to DNA testing, when providing a disputed paternity service for clients from depressed socio-economic populations.

We assessed the current costs of paternity testing done at our laboratory, which is one of the two laboratories offering a disputed paternity testing service in the Western Cape Substructure, Republic of South Africa.

Our current service had to be re-assessed from a financial and, equally important, time factor point of view. Current VNTR DNA tests cost three times the price of routine serology tests, and with a turnaround time of two months, it was not cost effective. The established service involving routine serology and DNA testing had to be restructured.

Paternity testing provides the child with the chance of its right to know the identity of its biological father and if DNA testing is not affordable to these living below the poverty datum line, clients do choose tests they are able to pay for.