According to him, the council is moved by a desire to help change the narrative of poor quality standards that appear to have stunted improvements and growth in medical laboratory services in the country.

“For us at MLSCN, it has become imperative to ensure that there is a paradigm shift towards accurate, reliable, reproducible, timely and cost-effective laboratory test results.

“We will not relent in our efforts to ensure that medical laboratory facilities in the country observe the highest safety standards in the interest of the practitioners as well as patients.

“When a facility’s personnel is qualified and licensed and the processes, procedures, equipment, physical structure, and other prerequisites are in line with the acclaimed quality essentials, then the facility can claim to be safe for all concerned,” he said.

Erhabor further said that the acclaimed benefits of accreditation which was the cornerstone of a good practice in any sector could be eroded by cankerworm of quackery, especially in the medical laboratory.

He also noted that a laboratory could not be safe for any patient if the practitioner does not have the requisite qualification to function.

“Our perceived nonchalant attitude towards the culture of quality and particularly its signpost which is accreditation has been implicated in the failure of our products and services to compete favorably in the international market.

“We must as a matter of imperative continue to probe our environments at home and workplace to ensure that they meet the highest standards of quality as we deserve no less,” he said.

He, therefore, urged the Federal Ministry of Health to give meaning to its directive three years ago to tertiary health institutions to commence the process of accrediting their medical laboratories.

Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of State for Health, said that accreditation of medical laboratory was about standards of saving lives and safety of the world.

Represented by Dr. Emmanuel Meribole, Director of Health, planning and research statistics noted that advanced technology has made it easy to lead good diagnosis.

Dr Eyang Bassey, President, Association of Medical Scientists of Nigeria, called for a comprehensive review of the country’s medical services for better results.

According to him, basic infrastructures are lacking in the health sector such as laboratories, saying that if Nigeria is not safe, the world is not safe also.
Bassey also said that Nigeria had to be safe before it could deliver a safe world.

Source: Pharmatimes