From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Federal Government has declared war on quackery in the health sector, stating its commitment to winning the war that will clear the health sector of quacks that are a threat to quality health care service delivery.
Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, made the declaration in Abuja at the presentation of International Standard Organization (ISO) Accreditation Certificates to
National External Quality Assessment Laboratory programme (NEQAL) operated by the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), and some other deserving medical laboratory facilities in Nigeria.
The Minister noted that quackery especially in the medical laboratory has tempered with the integrity of the system, thus eroding public trust and confidence, in addition to bringing bad reputations to Nigerian health care system, hence the determination and commitment across the healthcare service delivery value chain to fight the quacks.
He said: “One of our priority agenda is to frontally confront quackery in the health sector. Regulatory bodies like the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) are essential in achieving this objective, and I will like to charge you to roll out all your arsenals and deployed technology to ensure that quackery is eliminated from our healthcare delivery system.
“We are prepared to give all the needed support to ensure that all public and private laboratories in Nigeria enrol with MLSCN’s accreditation service and the National External Quality Assessment Laboratory programme (NEQAL) to evaluate the proficiency of the laboratory services rendered to Nigerians.
He confirmed the backing of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to the task, as well as his commitment to improved health care system for the benefit of Nigerians. “The reinstatement of budgetary funding for all the health regulatory bodies is a testament to the special position the health sector occupies in the agenda of Mr. President.”
The Minister congratulated MLSCN for the ISO-accreditation of NEQAL and other laboratories for the outstanding achievement, and urged other laboratories in the country to emulate them by improving their infrastructure, manpower base, and processes.
MLSCN Registrar, Tosan Erhabor, explained that NEQAL signifies a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s journey towards achieving global excellence in Medical Laboratory Science in Nigeria, adding that the conferment of the ISO accreditation on the NEQAL is a significant milestone in the advancement of healthcare in Nigeria.
