My Health⚕️My Country - by Udochi Umeha

I believe in Nigeria. It is because I do, that I am very much hopeful for times when quality service will be available in the healthcare system.As a medical laboratory professional, I will speak of behalf my own practice.For medical laboratory science practice, the International Standard Organization (ISO) introduced a Quality Management System (QMS) in order to standardize procedures and ensure the reliability and comparability of results across different laboratories.But, the reality is that there is little or no standard in many of the medical laboratories that we have in hospitals or stand-alone private laboratories. There is data to prove this;🧪A study assessing 80 medical laboratories in South-South Nigeria revealed that none were accredited for quality service delivery.  🔬While 88% were licensed by relevant authorities, only a minority had implemented comprehensive QMS frameworks. Notably, 90% reported regular equipment maintenance, and 90% claimed to calibrate their equipment regularly. However, only 45% utilized Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in their operations, and a mere 21% participated in External Quality Assurance (EQA) schemes. 🥼A study involving laboratory workers in two public health facilities found that 41.5% were unaware of standard safety precautions, and 25.4% did not observe them. Furthermore, 60% of respondents reported eating and drinking in the laboratory, indicating lapses in adherence to safety protocols. 💉To monitor the conformance and compliance of medical laboratories to these set standards, these laboratories are usually periodically audited and accredited by certified and registered accreditation agencies such as Medical Laboratory Science council of Nigeria (MLSCN) and the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) who are recognized worldwide. 🥽In my own experience, I have seen professionals like myself who fall under the pressure to make quick cash and then sell their license to quacks that claim they run medical laboratories. Others, just construct a make shift laboratory in a small room and receive patients in an environment that would give the patients more problems that he came with. As I did my research and read articles, the question that kept bothering me was, How is it that out of 80 laboratories that have been licensed and accredited to carry out diagnostic processes only 45% (36 laboratories) were found to follow through with SOPs and 21% (Approximately 17 laboratories) actually implemented EQA schemes?Bear in mind that out of these 80 laboratories that were studied, over 70 of them (88%) were apparently accredited to carry out diagnostic processes for patients.How is that possible?Who accredited them?Is there no integrity in the accreditation system anymore?Was the accreditation system not efficient enough to spot lapses in the laboratories that can evidently affect the accuracy of patients results??Hmm..On the other side,While there are pockets of excellence and ongoing efforts to improve quality and safety in Nigerian medical laboratories and hospital facilities, systemic challenges persist. Addressing these issues requires a multifaceted approach, including increased funding, policy reforms, infrastructure development, workforce training, and adherence to international standards.To my fellow medical practitioners, what do you think are the issues we have in achieving quality service care in our healthcare system, particularly in medical diagnostics in Nigeria?Let's talk.

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