Bolgatanga, Oct. 15, GNA – Dr Abu Abudu Rahamani, President of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) says the required infrastructure and equipment for timely and accurate healthcare delivery in Ghana is woefully inadequate.
He said the situations where kidney and liver function tests reagents got exhausted for weeks in Teaching and Regional Hospitals, and disposable gloves counted in pieces for various departments of the laboratory irrespective of the number of professionals on duty was unacceptable.
“We surely need standardization of our laboratory practices. We are calling for systems to be in place to ensure that these standards work well,” the GAMLS President insisted.
He called on the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to ensure that the Districts and Regional laboratories were well equipped to function efficiently.
Dr Rahamani was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Annual National Congress of the GAMLS in Bolgatanga on the theme: “Standardizing medical laboratory science practice in Ghana to better position the country in the midst of infectious diseases.”
The opening ceremony of the four-day Congress was chaired by the Paramount Chief of the Talensi Traditional Area, Tongraan Naab Kugbilsong Nanlebegtang, and attracted members of the GAMLS from across the country.
Dr Rahamani expressed concern about the inability of laboratories in public health facilities to investigate basic tests owing to the lack of reagents, “We are currently in a situation where some basic tests cannot be done in our Regional and District Laboratories that are considered primary healthcare providers.
“We again find ourselves in a situation where there are inadequate well-trained licensed Medical Laboratory professionals for effective and efficient discharge of diagnostic, therapeutic and research functions for excellent healthcare with the relevant authorities mandated to take action not being bothered,” he added.
The GAMLS President noted that in spite of the numerous challenges that affected the effective delivery of laboratory services by members of the GAMLS, Medical Laboratory Science practice had made strides in Ghana.
“In fact, within a 20-year period, the profession has achieved what several others could only do in 50 years and over. We can boast of professionals with Diploma, Undergraduate, Masters and PhD degree qualifications with several years of work experience,” he said.
Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director-General, GHS in a speech read on his behalf, said standards in healthcare was aimed at ensuring that clients got the right and established care to improve patient treatment and safety.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore the need for all in the healthcare industry to concentrate on building a resilient, strong and sustainable system capable of meeting the current and future healthcare challenges and therefore the need for standardization,”
The Director-General said the GHS and its Agencies with the support of the MoH were determined to build the human and infrastructural capacity in the health sector to be able to provide quality services to the citizenry.
Dr Kuma-Aboagye noted the GHS was also working to obtain baseline data on Medical Laboratory Quality Management Systems across the country, “This data will assist the Service to give the needed support and attention to Medical Laboratories to enable them to meet the current and future pandemics.”
The opening ceremony of the four-day Congress was chaired by the Paramount Chief of the Talensi Traditional Area, Tongraan Naab Kugbilsong Nanlebegtang, and attracted members of the GAMLS from across the country.
GNA