GHANA – Health Facilities Regulatory Agency, HeFRA, has given a directive on who qualifies to head medical laboratories in public health facilities across the country
This comes amid an impasse between the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAML) over the appointment of two medical doctors, who are Hematologist, to work at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Laboratory Unit.
In a letter to the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), regarding the regulation of laboratory workplace in health facilities, HeFRA, said by Act 829, it was the appropriate Agency to determine healthcare institutions’ Human Resource requirements and leadership including laboratories.
The Agency directed that basic laboratory be headed by a licensed medical laboratory technician in good standing with the Allied Health Professional Council.
Similarly, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Laboratories be headed by either a laboratory medicine specialist or a licensed biomedical scientist.
HeFRA said it was the leadership of the healthcare facility’s duty to appoint who should be the supervisor of the laboratory or any other unit.
Eastern Regional Hospital laboratory unit opens for tests
The Eastern Regional Hospital Laboratory Department has opened for lab tests after the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) decided to call off their strike action.
Everything seemed normal in the Out-Patient Department as health workers spotted in green, white or pink dresses going about their various duties with the majority attending to patients, Reported Ghana News Agency.
Members of the GAMLS across the country laid down their tools following the declaration of a nationwide strike by their leadership in solidarity with its members at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
The strike was in protest against the posting of two Laboratory Physicians to the Hospital’s Laboratory Services Department which the laboratory scientists said was an attempt by hospital management to “colonize” them.
However, the strike action was discontinued on Tuesday, following a stakeholders’ meeting called at the instance of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, compelling the leadership of the group to agree in principle to resume work.
Dr Arko Akoto-Ampaw, Medical Director of Eastern Regional Hospital, said they had a meeting with GAML leadership and he was glad that they reached an agreement to resume operations.
“We met the leadership of the Hospital’s Chapter of GAMLS yesterday and the decision on the laboratory unit to fully operate today has been fulfilled,” he said.
