Crisis is brewing cold between members of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN), Ondo branch and the management of the State Specialist Hospital Board over alleged establishment of illegal laboratory in the state.
The newly established laboratory christened, ”Hematology/Virology Research Laboratory” came into existence about two months ago to run as a parallel one with the main Laboratory which has been established for the past 20 years.
The AMLSN embarked on a protest last week Thursday which led to the closure of the parallel laboratory established by its members. Police from the ‘B’ Division in Akure however intervened in the matter.
The Union consequently accused the management of the hospital for allegedly employing some unqualified Laboratory Scientists, to manage the new laboratory.
Following this development, the Association has threatened to seek legal action to secure a court order for the immediate closure of what it tagged “illegal laboratory”.
When DailyPost visited the hospital, none of the workers was ready to speak on the issue, but a staff of the hospital who spoke in confidence said the introduction of the new laboratory has been causing confusion in the hospital.
She disclosed that, following the development, monies paid for diagnosis have been going to individual pockets rather than the account of the state government.
According to her, “government was only informed by the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Dr. Ikuomola and the Permanent Secretary of the Hospital Board, Dr. Ojo that the place was established for Research.”
The source alleged that even though the medical diagnosis, treatment monitoring, prognosis are done in the laboratory, the results are misleading because they are conducted by unqualified personnel.
She said due to this problem, several patients have allegedly lost their lives due to poor handling.
Her words “A good example of such poor test carried out by these quacks occurred when a physician requested for a liver function test to be carried out on his patient, a total different test, LIPID PROFILE was carried out on the patient, thereby wasting his blood sample and hard earned money. These are some of the cases that we experience at the state specialist Hospital Akure”.
It was also revealed by the source that the management has allegedly met with the medical doctors to stop directing patients to the main Laboratory in order to make illegal profits.
When contacted, the State Chairman of the association, Prince Adedire Adeyinka, who confirmed this said the association has written a letter to the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju and the state Governor, Olusegun Mimiko on the alleged illegal activities ongoing in the hospital.
He noted that several lives have been endangered following the introduction of the unlicensed officers handling laboratory test for patients in the hospital lab..
The letter the association sent to the state governor on September 20, 2013 with ref no: AMLSN/OD/13/264 and made available to newsmen reads; “When the news of the establishment of illegal Laboratory filtered in because it was referred to as a “Research Laboratory” Subsequently,
”We were filled with an overwhelming sense of outrage when some physicians were accusing the main Laboratory in the hospital of issuing abnormal and misleading results of Laboratory investigations.
“We immediately commenced investigations on the matter and we were shocked when we confirmed that the so called Hematology/Virology Research Laboratory, headed by a doctor in collaboration with some unqualified personnel had started issuing out laboratory results for the purpose of same laboratory request form used by the main Hospital laboratory.
“As if that was not enough patients now pay directly to the same doctor and charges of investigations are more than the normal charges at the main Laboratory department of the hospital.
It was learnt that the issuance of wrong and outrageous results has also been identified in this same Research Laboratory.
For example, she revealed that the Packed Cell Volume [PCV] of a patient was analyzed to be 37 percent by the research laboratory and the result was signed by the same doctor.
According to her ” the same patient sample was subjected to proper analysis on the same day by qualified and licensed Medical Laboratory Professionals and found to be 25 percent. It is worthy of note that the difference in the two results is significant and is capable of causing damage to patient’s health due to wrong treatment.
“The Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria Act 11 of 2003 stipulates that only Medical Laboratory Scientists, Medical Laboratory Technicians and Medical Laboratory Assistants are qualified and licensed to work in any medical Laboratory facility. Section 2, subsection 2 (5 and 6) of the same act also states that therefore,
“it is an offence punishable by fine and imprisonment for a person who is not a member of the profession of medical Laboratory Science to practice as such in expectation of reward, take he is in practice as a member of the profession.
Also, where body corporate consents, act negligently or connived with the defaulter to act as such, such a body corporate or its officer acting on its behalf shall be liable and punished accordingly”
Also in the same letter, the Union uncovered how the management allegedly perpetrated financial misconduct.
“We wish to inform you that charges for the investigation being carried out at the research laboratory are being paid directly to the doctor who claimed to be the head of that Laboratory despite utilizing state government funds, resources and facilities.
”The extent of impunity at the highest level was observed when our members got hold of one of the laboratory investigation forms on which it was written “Pay to Dr. Osho”. This is simply an act to defraud the state government.
Olayinka who demanded for the immediate closure of the new laboratory, stressed that several intervention by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Dayo Adeyanju to resolve the crisis has yielded no positive response as the management has insisted to carry on with the programme.
In his short reaction, the Head Consultant Hematology/Virology Research Laboratory, Dr. P.O Osho said “we have written to the government about this case and we are waiting for the panel to be set up in order for them to look into these allegations”
In his reaction,the Chief Medical Director [CMD] Dr.Niran Ikuomola emphasised that the parallel laboratory has come to stay,stressing that it was in line with the policies of its management.
He pointed out that those deployed to the new laboratory were professionals, adding that the results coming out of the laboratory had been reliable.
However, efforts to speak with the state Commissioner for Health were fruitless as his line was inactive,and not also available when contacted in his office.
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