INTEGRATE PRIVATE MEDICAL LABORATORIES INTO THE NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN – EXPERTS AT 2024 MEDLAB WEST AFRICA CONFERENCE
INTEGRATE PRIVATE MEDICAL LABORATORIES INTO THE NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN – EXPERTS AT 2024 MEDLAB WEST AFRICA CONFERENCE
Medlab West Africa annual Conference is the largest gathering of Medical Laboratory Professionals and Exhibitors in West Africa.
The 2024 conference which was held in April at the usual venue, the magnificent Landmark Exhibition Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, brought together the brightest minds in the healthcare industry.
The Congress organized by informa Markets, co- located with Pharmaconex in association with CPHI and in Partnership with Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) is the largest and first ever Congress to shape the future of the laboratory industry in the West Africa region.
The three day event accommodated Pathologists, Medical Laboratory Scientists, Microbiologists, Heads of Laboratories, Researchers, Equipment vendors, Marketers, Students and others.
The conference had six tracks which included Laboratory Management and Quality, Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Molecular Diagnostics, Clinical Chemistry and Anatomical Pathology.
The recommendations at the end of the conference by major stakeholders such as the Guild of Medical Laboratory Directors (GMLD) and the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) were as follows:
1. Effective coordination of biorepository facilities in Nigeria to ensure accountability of High Consequence Agents and Toxins.
2. Establishment of Vaccinology Institutes in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria to build national capacity in vaccine development and manufacturing.
3. Mentorship as a strategy to upskill the next generation of medical laboratory scientists in genomic sequencing, data analytics and bioinformatics.
4. Integration of Private laboratories into the national health plan for provision of quality assured medical laboratory services.
5. Strengthening diagnostic capacity in primary healthcare centres across Nigeria.
6. Enhanced monitoring of Distributors of In-vitro Diagnostics across Nigeria by the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) to ensure availability of quality assured products.
7. Removal of all bottlenecks that hinders private sector investments in the medical laboratory service sector.
8. Effective regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in In-vitro Diagnostics manufacturing and Distribution to avoid misuse.
9. Integration of medical laboratory services across all disease burdens in the country to curb the current siloed services by Development Partners.
10. Inclusion of cancer screening and treatment in the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Dr Donald Ofili, the Director and Deputy Registrar of MLSCN was the Conference Chairman while Tom Coleman was the senior exhibition Director of the Medlab series.
The next Conference will be held at the same venue from the 23rd – 25th April, 2025.
Please mark your calendar. It promises to surpass previous editions in terms of exhibition and attendance. Don’t miss out!.