Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) has blamed the orthodox approaches being adopted in public health facilities in the country to cancer diagnosis and management for the increased deaths from the disease.
Speaking on Tuesday at the opening session of the 52nd Annual Scientific Conference/Workshop of the association, holding in Jalingo, Taraba State, the National President of the association, Alhaji Toyosi Raheem, noted that it was sad that “despite all the advances in diagnosis and treatment of cancer and tumour-related health challenges, many lives are still lost to cancer and cancer-related diseases.”
The theme of the conference “Tumour Micro Environments: Basic and Advanced Strategies for Quality Health Services."
Toyosi said, “The old approaches to cancer diagnosis and management is no longer practiced in civilized countries of the world where personalized medicine is the new order, the ‘one-cap-fit-all’ approach of health practice which is the old order in Nigeria deserves attention.”
He explained that effective patient’s management is based on individuals’ body responses to infections, tumours and other health challenges.
He also attributed the recent surge in quackery in the profession to the Federal Ministry of Health recent directive, stopping Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria, MLSCN, from inspecting laboratory equipment in the country.
According to him, “Since the ban was placed on MLSCN by FMOH through a letter to Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria, MLSCN, in Feburary this year, many quacks who had earlier run away from medical laboratories due to the inspection by MLSCN have regrettably since returned to medical laboratory services. This has further endangered lives and quality of laboratory services to the masses of this country. Many lives have been lost in the process due to misdiagnosis."
The AMLSN’s boss also revealed that Rapid Results Initiative (RRI), a recently-launched health project by Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, had been put on hold, following funding dearth.
The initiatives target results within 100 days. Among others, it intends to achieve revamping of 110 primary health centres in each geo-political zones of the country, feeding 200,000 acutely malnourished children in Yobe and Borno states, 10,000 surgeries, screening of 500,000 citizens for diabetes, and screening of another 40,000 for hepatitis infection.
Toyosi appealed to the government to make money available for the programme, saying the Federal Government should also include medical laboratory scientists in the campaign.
“These definitely cannot be effectively and reliably done without involving the medical laboratory scientists,” he said.
Among others, AMLSN called for implementation of the National Health Act 2014, elimination of disharmony in the nation’s health sector, implementation of courts judgments, reconstitution of boards of health regulatory bodies and need for increased improvement in security across the country.
The group particularly expressed sadness over failure of security agencies to fish out killers of former Registrar of MLSCN, Mrs Olufunke Omotuyi. The association appealed to government to do more to apprehend perpetrators of the assassination.
Chairman of the event and Leader, House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, extolled the roles of medical laboratory scientists in management of diseases.
Gbajabiamila, who was represented by Co-Chairman of the event and member, House of Representatives, Istifanus Gyang, said: “Giving the pivotal role which medical lab scientists play in the clinical chain, and the fact that all medical prescriptions are dependent and contingent on the diagnostic competence of medical lab scientists, refining and strengthening the capacity of medical lab scientists is therefore mandatory. This will guarantee effective and efficacious delivery capacity and excellence by these practitioners. This year’s conference affords us the opportunity to reflect on the state of the nation’s health sector. It is a fact and a truism that the Nigerian budget allocation to health is far below the recommended global minimum. This requires urgent review so that our health infrastructures, our institutions and appropriate health technology can be upgraded and standardized. Let me also reassure you that as a friend of medical lab scientists, I remain committed to the passage on the on National Post-graduate College of Medical Laboratory Scientists.”
Credit: world stage news