Associations bemoan alleged infiltration of Gombe PHCs laboratories by quacks

Chima Azubuike

The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, and the Association of Medical Laboratory Technicians and Assistants of Nigeria, Gombe State branch, on Wednesday, lamented the increasing infiltration of Primary Healthcare Centres in Gombe state by quacks claiming to be professional laboratory scientists and assistants.

The two associations said it has become imperative to curb the nefarious activities of these quacks. 

The Associations’ positions came following reports that fake genotypes and medical certificates were being issued by some primary healthcare facilities in the state.

Addressing Journalists during a joint briefing, AMLSN’s Chairman Ochacha Ahmed, said that based on the investigations by the associations, Gombe Primary Healthcare Centres have unlicensed staff.

He said, “As part of the outcome of our investigation, it will surprise you to know that, the laboratories at the PHCs are flooded with unlicensed personnel (particularly those that read Science Laboratory Technology, Botany, Biochemistry, etc).

“The worst case was to note that as important as laboratory investigations are in healthcare services to the citizens at the grassroots, the PHC law of Gombe state does not take cognisance of the service, to make deliberate provisions to accommodate representation of the professionals in the constitution of the board of the PHCs.

“The department is not even in existence meanwhile the PHCs are running all sorts of laboratory investigations without proper supervision, making them dish out fake results for tokens which jeopardise lives of residents of the state.”

While describing the perpetrators of fake test results as ‘charlatans’, “who impersonate and parade themselves as Medical Laboratory Scientists or Technicians. How they got into those Primary Health Care laboratories was, however, beyond our scope of investigations.

“We, therefore, dissociate ourselves as responsible medical laboratory professionals from the scam,” Ahmed said.

While commending the Gombe State Government for its transformation of the health sector, especially in the Specialist Hospitals, the associations asked the government to immediately terminate the appointments of volunteers in the health sector.

Ahmed said, “Gombe state is privileged to have several training institutions (both private and public) that are already training medical laboratory technicians and have graduated a good number of them that are roaming about without jobs. 

“We also have unemployed licenced medical laboratory scientists looking for jobs.

“Therefore, we advise 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.

“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.

“That the existing non-professionals should as a matter of urgency be released to other departments based on their requisite qualification or encouraged to seek further studies to acquire the prerequisite knowledge for medical laboratory services.”

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