GHS involves private sector in laboratory reforms

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has adopted measures to reform the laboratory systems in health care delivery with the involvement of the private sector.

The private sector is now engaged in the refurbishment of the Central Clinical Reference Laboratory of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) to be able to conduct quality assurance test on reagents to ensure patients receive accurate laboratory tests.

Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, Director General of GHS, said in addition, the GHS was engaging the private sector to assist with the supply, distribution and management of reagents and equipment to promote efficient and effective laboratory service.

This was in an address read on his behalf by Dr Samuel Kaba, Director of Institutional Care, GHS, at the opening session of the three-day Annual Congress of Ghana Association of Biomedical Laboratory Scientists (GABMLS) in Sunyani.

The congress, on the theme: “Quality Management Systems: Key to Raising Medical Laboratory Standards in Ghana,” would create awareness among members on the need to raise medical laboratory standards in Ghana to international levels.

Medical laboratory practice includes research, screening, diagnosis, treatment and public education which are integral components of efficient and effective health care.

Dr Appiah-Denkyira said: “Study leave with pay has been granted to many biomedical scientists to pursue Masters and PhD programmes in Ghana and abroad”.

He said it was not true that some medical services were more important than others and urged all and sundry to realise that health service delivery was like a circle and all health workers at a given point of the circle made it complete.

“Therefore, you are equally important and without you, doctors cannot accomplish their duties and patients will not know their diagnosis and their treatment can never be appropriately administered,” Dr Appiah-Denkyira said.

Dr Alfred Sugri Tia, Deputy Minister of Health, in an address read on his behalf by Dr Timothy Letsa, Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of Health Services, said the Ministry in collaboration with its partners, had developed a National Health Laboratory Policy, National Health Laboratory Strategic Plan and National Health Laboratory Accreditation Policy, which would be launched soon for implementation.

He said in the health care delivery system, the management of medical laboratory was the weakest and had been a serious headache to the Ministry.

Dr Tia said it was in this vein that the Ministry, through the GHS, in collaboration with the US-based Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, was working with some medical laboratories to strengthen laboratory management for accreditation.

“Through this process of accreditation, quality laboratory management and adherence to standards can be assured,” he added.

Prince Sodoke Amuzu, President of GABMLS, said medical laboratory practice was focused on regulated and standardised practices to provide quality services to people to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

He said the specific role of medical laboratory services in providing the scientific basis for medicine placed remarkable responsibility and expectation on practitioners to maintain high levels of standardisation and regulation to ensure that medical services did not turn out to be solely presumptuous and unscientific.

“There is, therefore, a compelling need for investment of resources in this sector towards this realisation,” Prince Amuzu said.