RE: GENOTYPE SCAM, HOW HEALTH WORKERS IN GOMBE ISSUE FAKE GENOTYPE CERTIFICATES FOR A TOKEN.
Our attention have been drawn to a publication made by a reporter of WIKKITIMES with the above caption. As responsible professional Association, we got triggered over such professional misconducts and quickly swong into action by setting up an independent committee to unravel the details of what led to the fake results.
The committee quickly went into action and within a week was able to reveal the root cause of the fake results.
From our findings, it became very clear that the people involved in such dispecable and cruel act against humanity where not trained and licenced Medical Laboratory Scientist or Medical Laboratory Technician and are not members of our respective association (AMLSN & AMELTAN) nor were they registerred with the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria.
They were charlantans who impersonate and parade themselves as Medical Laboratory Scientists or Technicians.
How they got into those PHC laboratories and how they were employed to work there was beyound our scope of investigation.
We therefore dissociate ourselves as responsible medical laboratory professionals from such scam.
It is important we use this opportuinity to educate and inform the public and government about whose responsibilities is it to handle human samples intended for use in diagnosing, treating and monitoring of patients health.
Medical Laboratory Science is a regulated professional practice. In order to ensure effective regulation of medical laboratory training and practices both in public and private diagnostic medical laboratories in Nigeria, the Government of General Olusegun Obasanjo GCFRN signed into law, Act 11 0f 2003 which gave birth to MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE COUNCIL OF NIGERIA.
The Medical Laboratory Science Council among other functions have the following responsibilities;
A. section 4(h) provides that medical laboratory science council shall “inspect, regulate and accredit medical laboratories”
B. section 19 (1)(d)provides that the board of the council shall make rules for “the maintenance of good standard of medical laboratory practice and services in respect to regulation of private practice including statutory inspection, approval and monitoring of medical laboratories including thiose adjoined to clinics, private and public health institutions.
In essence, the Medical Laboratory Science Council is responsible for regulating laboratory investigations conducted towards ensuring accurate and reproducible results for appropriate health care services.
Furthermore, anybody who want to conduct laboratory investigation on human samples for diagnostic purposes must be properly trained and licensed by the regulatory council. In addition, you undergo professional retraining programme every year to renew your license to practice both as Medical Laboratory Scientist or Medical Laboratory technician.
The law criminalize any act by anybody to conduct laboratory investigation in the Medical Laboratory without been licensed by the regulatory body (Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria).
Section 18(2)state that” subject to the provision of this act, no body not beign a fully registered medical laboratory scientist under this act shall be entitled to hold any appointment in the public service of the Federation or state or any public or private establishment, body or institution, if the holding of such appointment involves the performance by him in Nigeria of any act pertaining to the performance of Medical Laboratory sciences for gain”
Section 22 (2) that a person who is not a member of the profession shall not practice the profession or, in expectation of reward, take or use any name, title, addition or description implying that he is in practice as a member of the profession.
As part of the outcome of our investigation, it will surprise the public to know that, the laboratories at the PHCs are flooded with un-licensed personnels (particularly those that studied science lab technology, botany, Biochemistry, community health, environmental health, etc).
The worst case was to note that as important as the laboratory investigations in health care services to the citizens at the grassroots are, the PHC law of Gombe State do not take corgnisance of the service, to make deliberate provisions to accommodate representation of the professionals in the constitution of the board of the PHC and the department is not even in existence at the agency, meanwhile the PHCs are running all sorts of medical laboratory investigations without proper supervision, making them an avenue of fake results for tokens which jeopardises lives of residents of the state.
Where there is no existing department for a service , how well can such services be regulated as important as it is.
It is on this note we want to advice the healthcare providers and the Government at all levels, most especially, the Government of Gombe State, on the followings;
1- That Government should recorgnise and include the representative of Medical Laboratory Services in the board of the PHCDA in Gombe State to enable appropriate professional supervision and advice where necessary.
2- That the Executive Secretary of PHCDA should as a matter of necessity create the department of Medical Laboratory Services to take the responsibilities of supervising and managing the laboratories at the PHCs.
3- Gombe state is privileged to have several training institutions (both private and public) which are already training Medical Laboratory Technicians, and have graduated a good number of them roaming about without jobs. We also have un-employed licenced Medical Laboratory Scientists looking for job here and there.
Therefore, we advice that those trained professionals be employed at the PHCs laboratories as a matter of urgency to save the lives of the innocent citizens at the grassroots facilities.
4- The government should involve members of the profession in the process of recruiting personnel for Medical Laboratory Services. This will ensure that appropriate personnel are engaged.
5- That the existing non-professionals should as a matter of urgency be released to other departments based on their requisite qualification, or seek further studies to acquire the pre-requisite knowledge for Medical Laboratory Services.
6- We call on the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria as a matter of necessity to arrest and prosecute those with fake licenses parading themselves as Medical Laboratory professionals.
7- We call on the authorities of the PHCs to abolish the act of accepting volunteer services as this predisposes such people to indulge in acts of misconduct to earn financial gain
As professionals and as an association we shall continue to partner with the government and relevant organisations in ensuring that we bring their attention to any act that is inimical to the service.
We appreciate the efforts of the investigative journalist and WIKKITIMES for the good job done to expose such grievous menace being perpetrated at the PHCs laboratories.
We shall continue to partner with the relevant media houses and encourage investigative journalism as a tool to save the life of our innocent citizens from the hand of dubious entities who do not value the dignity and sacredness of human life.
Thank you.
Ochacha Ahmed A. Bala Zakari Chairman Secretary
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