Biomedical lab scientists take steps to weed out quack practices

Quackery in medical laboratory testing has become a widespread lucrative activity in Ghana.

The conduct of laboratory tests by people without adequate training, certification and association is a major worry to the Ghana Association of Biomedical Laboratory Scientists (GABMLS), which has for many years advocated passage of laws to regulate the practice.

Now the group says it is devising a strategic plan to deal with the menace, since the Ministry of Health and Parliament have failed to heed to calls for a legislative instrument to regulate the sector.

President of the Association, Prince Sokode Amuzu says the first step is a cleanup exercise dubbed 'Name and Shame', with the objective of indentifying and publishing names of institutions and people engaged in the enterprise of laboratory testing without the requisite training and certification.

“I'm very sure such a move will generate a lot of legalities, so we've also put up a legal team to be prepared so that when we find out that the situation is completely out of place, we may want to sue some people and test the laws of Ghana and see.

“In the absence of regulation, there should be some consensus about doing things the right way”, he told Luv Fm at the Association's 1st Regional Congress and Maiden Scientific Conference in Kumasi.

According to Prince Sokode, laboratory results in the country have had some bad repute not because the laboratory professional has failed Ghanaians, but because a lot of quacks and “even colleague health professionals who should be busy supporting our healthcare system, find it interesting and lucrative to engage in lab testing.

“Lab tests are been conducted in places where there are no laboratory facilities, i.e. pharmacy shops, chemical sellers' shops, herbal shops, schools and church premises, football pitches”.

The open practice of lab testing, he observed, is inimical to safeguarding the health needs of Ghanaians.

The conference is aimed at promoting professional interaction and networking among all Biomedical Laboratory scientists. The theme is “Bringing new knowledge to the Biomedical Laboratory Scientist through Scientific Conferencing and Continuing Professional Education”.

A biomedical scientist carries out laboratory tests on human samples to help clinicians diagnose illness and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.

Professor Tsiri Agbenyaga, Provost of the College of Health Sciences at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, says the job of a lab scientist is critical to the total management of the patient, because “doctors treat them on the basis of these test results”.

He however noted the “modern technology and the complexity of biochemical tests mean that the Biomed scientist has to be abreast with the current literature and current techniques”.

Prof. Agbenyaga entreated the professionals to engage in lifelong learning through continuing professional development and education to maintain their knowledge and skills.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh/Luv Fm/Ghana