'G.C. Okara Explodes Again!'-Primary Healthcare Will Fail Without Medical Laboratory Services

 

Gentlemen of the Press, it is my pleasure and privilege to welcome you to this media briefing session this afternoon. I am delighted to inform you that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has granted a two-year funding and technical support to the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) to facilitate a web-based (i.e. online) Continuing Medical Laboratory Education Programme for Medical laboratory scientists in Nigeria. This is to ensure that medical laboratory scientists remain at the cutting edge of professional knowledge and competence to render accurate and reliable diagnostic laboratory services to the patient. The Bloomberg School of Public Health of The John Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA, is the Technical Implementing Partner for the project. The John Hopkins University/Knowledge for Health (K4 Health) Project is a leading global expert in eLearning principles and practice. A team of experts from the University has therefore been assigned to train and mentor a select group of medical laboratory scientists on the development and know-how of a sustainable web-based continuing medical laboratory education programme in Nigeria. This is to ensure and guarantee that AMLSN will continue and indeed expand the programme after the two-year pilot project. We are indeed very grateful to the USAID, the American people and The John Hopkins University.
Strengthening laboratory Diagnostic capacity
It has been said that: “Medicine is Diagnosis plus Treatment. Treatment without diagnosis is a waste of resources. The most important tool and the most important thing in medicine is diagnosis”. We are in the age of evidence-based health care practice. Science revolutionized the practice of medicine by removing hunches and guesses from its practice. Medical laboratory science plays a key role in effective health care delivery. It provides over 70% of the empirical data that constitute the evidence that drives the practice. As a responsible organization, the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria is urging her members to cultivate the habit of pursuit of excellence in professional practice in the interest of the patient and the society. The culture of continuous and continuing structured study imparts an attitude of meticulous disposition and careful attention to detail on medical laboratory professionals. Through this programme, our Association in conjunction with Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) is launching a vanguard for Mandatory professional medical laboratory education for every medical laboratory scientist in Nigeria. Every medical laboratory scientist will henceforth show evidence of having acquired a specified minimum number of credits before renewal of practising license in a given year. Without fulfilling the minimum number of credits practicing license will not be issued by the Council.
Medical Laboratory services at the primary health care level
Our Association has persistently advocated for the introduction and incorporation of laboratory services at the primary health care level in Nigeria. The practice of treating every patient that complains of fever for malaria or typhoid is antiquated to say the least. We have pointed it out that the National Health Bill is grossly lacking in addressing this gap. Our people in the rural areas are deserving of appropriate laboratory services in the 21st century. The observed obnoxious clauses and conflicting sections in the bill have remained unattended to. We caution and strongly appeal to the National Assembly to listen to the health sector professional stakeholders in taking another look at the bill. Whereas we respect Market women groups and other social Non-Governmental Organizations, professional health service delivery will only be provided primarily by the professionals. The National Health Bill should be seen to attempt to ameliorate the chaotic and rancorous health sector environment in Nigeria today than exacerbate the crisis.
Conclusion
Medical laboratory scientists in Nigeria today are poised to contribute our quota to improved quality health care through dedicated service and knowledge updating. We call on the authorities at the Federal and State Ministries of Health and hospitals to respect, implement and enforce government approved scheme of service and statutory regulations for enhanced laboratory diagnostic services in the interest of the patient. We call on the Honourable Minister of Health to create the Department of Medical Laboratory Services in the Ministry in line with the National Medical laboratory services policy. This will rekindle the confidence of the public in the system and stem the increasing quest for overseas medical trips by Nigerians. 

Thank you for listening.