Kunle Ojo
A medical laboratory expert, Dr Chijoke Onyia, has warned that poor quality assurance in Nigeria’s medical laboratories could undermine the accuracy of test results and put patients at risk.
Onyia, convener of the First Quality Assurance Summit in Medical Laboratory Practice and managing director of Pinecrest Healthcare, made the call ahead of the summit.
He urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on quality assurance in medical laboratory practice and commit more resources to improving standards across the country.
According to him, quality assurance should not be treated merely as a regulatory requirement, but as a culture that must involve every member of a laboratory team.
He said the actions of laboratory personnel could affect the reliability of test results and, ultimately, the quality of care received by patients.
Onyia called on the Federal Government and state authorities to provide adequate resources for laboratories to implement robust quality assurance systems that meet global standards.
He also urged regulatory bodies to enforce minimum quality assurance standards and ensure compliance by medical laboratory practitioners.
The medical expert called for greater collaboration among government, regulators, laboratory professionals and institutions to ensure strict implementation of quality assurance across the sector.
He said maintaining standards should be regarded as a collective responsibility because errors in laboratory practice could have consequences for diagnosis and treatment.
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