Experts seek standards in health care delivery

Managing Director of Pathcare Laboratories, Dr.
Pamela Ajayi, has said that efficient and reliable
laboratory services and networks are fundamental
components of effective health care systems.
Delivering a paper entitled, “Meeting International
Standards in Laboratory Services” at a symposium
of the Health Writers Association of Nigeria held in
Lagos, Ajayi said high-quality laboratory testing
was critical for patient care, prevention, disease
surveillance and outbreak investigations.
She noted that few laboratories in Africa (only 340)
are currently accredited, lamenting that the
majority of the accredited laboratories are in South
Africa, while only 28(8.2 per cent) are in sub-
Saharan Africa.
“In Nigeria, Pathcare remains the only laboratory
with ISO 15189 accreditation, in addition to SANAS
accreditation,” Ajayi said.
In her speech, the Project Director of Colostrum
International, Dr. Bunmi Ogundimu, called on the
Federal Government to establish a breast milk
bank, so that working mothers could bank their
breast milk and at intervals, visit the place to get
milk for their babies.
She also advised the government to establish
crèches at work places so that working mothers
could visit the crèches and breastfeed their babies
during office hours.
The Chairman, Board of Trustees of HEWAN, Dr.
Emmanuel Enabulele, noted that the time for
Nigeria to meet international standards in health
care delivery is now in order “to reduce mortality
and morbidity, improve our health indices and
achieve the Millenium Development Goals.”