“A healthy people make a healthy nation,” so says the man with foresight.
The health of the people is the ultimate goal of every health delivery system. Over the past years in Ghana, a number of expansion works have gone on in major hospitals with many more new health facilities being put up. The national health insurance policy, which has been in operation for over a decade, is being reviewed for efficiency and effectiveness. A lot of life-saving equipment, pharmacies restocking and hospital administrative facilities have been given a facelift.
Along with the ongoing retooling of various sectors of the health system, the pivot of modern health, the medical laboratory, has been left behind. Despite the important roles medical laboratories have evolved to offer, our country has left this “Titanic” ship sinking. The current healthcare system has provided the avenue for “holes” created in the ship, allowing water to rush in. The call for evidence-based medicine has been the talk of major international bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO) and laboratories cannot be overlooked.
From the public to the private sector, medical laboratories are always treated as afterthoughts, and mostly do not form the integral plan of building hospitals. Instances of washrooms being converted to laboratories or distanced from the facility are rampant. More appalling is the use of antiquated techniques from the 19th and 20th centuries, which are still forced down the throats of laboratory personnel. It is even worse when expired and/or low-quality reagents are being procured.
To salvage the sinking ship, there is an eminent need for proper representation in the decision making process-a Medical Laboratory Science Directorate (MLSD), similar to other professions. How this would put the woes of the health system to rest?
In the current establishment, the top management and directorship of public health facilities, including the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Ghana Health Service (GHS), exclude the knowledge and expertise of the medical laboratory scientist (MLS). These institutions are manned by professionals with adequate knowledge in other aspects of health, but not medical laboratory diagnosis. There are various directors, such as medical, pharmacy and nurses, who are qualified, experienced and competent in their respective fields.
In health facilities, decisions concerning the operations of medical laboratory are made by the medical doctor (medical director/CEO/superintendent), the pharmacist (director of pharmacy), the nurse (matron) and the clerics (Administrators, Accountants). The Lab manager is third, sometimes fourth, in the hierarchy of management. The question that remains to be answered is: what knowledge, experience and competence do these decision-makers have in the field of medical laboratory diagnosis, and what importance do they attach to its practice?
We are always confronted with statements like, “The medical doctor knows about medical laboratory diagnosis and would represent the laboratory in decision making.” This notation is an unfortunate one. How can someone argue that a tailor would understand the process of cutting hair because both the tailor and the barber use scissors, a tool employed in cutting? In order to establish a flourishing barbering shop, you would require the skills of a barber and not that of a hairdresser. In much the same way, other health professionals would have little know-how about the operation of a medical laboratory.
To build a robust, efficient and effective medical laboratory service system, there is the need for a qualified, experienced and competent laboratory scientists be part of the core management decision-making body. In the construction of laboratories, the procurement of the right equipment and reagents and the testing and delivering a laboratory results, there is the need for the use of the correct human resources.
Many lab professionals have argued the need for the creation of a directorate for medical laboratory, but this has received serious resistance because other healthcare professionals believe this will take away some of the money, power and prestige that they have in the health sector.
The establishment and integration of a directorate into the management of the health facilities, as well as at the MoH and GHS, would ensure the right decisions are made regarding the practice of medical laboratories. This will ensure the survival, efficiency and effectiveness of medical laboratories across the country. Every concerned citizen, civil society, WHO, CDC and all concerning organizations must call on the government through the MoH to accomplish this simple task so our health system can be salvaged. The time to save the SHIP is now.
By Maxwell Akonde, MLS, and Evans Kyeremeh, are co-founders of Patient Safety Advocacy Africa.
Date Published: June 6, 2016
First Published on: laboratory-managers.advanceweb.com
