Medical laboratories uneasy at delayed implementation of policies to govern sector

Government needs to put three policy documents into operations to advance the quest of improving the quality medical laboratory systems and practice in Ghana.

The National Health Laboratory Policy, the National Health Laboratory Strategic Policy and the National Health Laboratory Accreditation Policy spell out the medical laboratory governance and practice to protect human health and public safety.

The policies have been shelved since completion over a year ago, constraining the ability of the laboratories to deliver quality services.

The Ghana Association of Biomedical Laboratory Scientists (GABMLS) has therefore tasked the Ministry of Health to launch the policy documents without further delay to promote professionalism in the sector.

“We regret the lack of a national policy direction for the provision of medical laboratory services in the country”, members stated in a communiqué issued at the end of the 2014 Annual National Congress of the Association held in Elmina, Central region on the theme: “Medical Laboratories Are Vital”.

The Congress deliberated on the contemporary health issues in the country, including the Cholera outbreak and the threat of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease.

“We decry the limited capacity of our Public Health Reference Medical Laboratories to adequately handle biosafety class III/IV pathogens – including Ebola and Marburg – and other epidemic prone infectious diseases, including cholera, in Ghana,” read the statement. “We find the attitude and the level of laboratory support preparedness of the Government against the threat of the deadly Ebola virus, and its management of the recent cholera outbreak as woefully inadequate.”

Members also appraised the quality and regulation of the country's medical laboratory services and systems, and re-affirmed their commitment to providing quality health care to the citizenry.

Meanwhile, the GABMLS at Congress elected new National Executive Officers to steer the affairs of the Association for the period 2014-2016.

BMS Thomas Kwabena Gyampomah, who is a Deputy Chief Biomedical Scientist at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, was elected the new President, to take over from the outgoing, Prince Sokode Amuzu.

Others are BMS Abu Abudu Rahamani, Vice-President; BMS Michael Amo Omari, General Secretary; and BMS Edward Yaw, Financial Secretary.

The GABMLS is the sole body of all medical laboratory professionals in Ghana, responsible for assuring quality medical laboratory testing, reporting, consultative and interpretative services which contribute to early disease detection, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and prevention of disease conditions in humans.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh