GAMLS and MoH: sexual position to attain orgasm and make babies?

At the just ended  Annual National Congress of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists, the then President of the Professional Body, in telling the story of how far the group has come used the analogy of sexual position assumed by couples to describe why GAMLS employ some measures in seeking the well-being of Ghanaians. That the MoH should not see GAMLS as a militant group but rather know that some “sexual positions in certain times are required by all partners for the good of making babies”. One will not be far from right to add that orgasm is a collateral benefit in seeking to make babies.

In the speech delivered by the President which is seen as one of the best delivered in recent times by a President of GAMLS, the challenges and achievements were well outlined to congress in the presence of the Deputy Health Minister, Dr. Bernard Oko Boye, and other dignitaries.

Read on as captured below;

SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE GHANA ASSOCIATION OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENTISTS (GAMLS), MLS DR IGNATIUS A. N AWINIBUNO DURING THE 2020 ANNUAL NATIONAL CONGRESS OF THE GHANA ASSOCIATION OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENTISTS HELD AT THE AKROMA PLAZA HOTEL, TAKORADI  FROM TUESDAY, 13^TH– THURSDAY 17^H  OCTOBER, 2020

SALUTATION

Our Royal Chairman of Congress Nana Kobina  Nketsia V, Paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area Special Guest of Honour and Western Regional Minister, Hon. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Regional Directors of Health, Metro Director of Health, President of WAPCMLS and Registrar of Ghana Chapter, and  Deans and Head of Departments of Faculties of Medical Laboratories Sciences, Lecturers of Faculties of Medical Laboratory Sciences and other Faculties here present, Registrars of Regulatory Agencies, our Sister Professional  Bodies and Unions, APBM-TOGO, GAMLS Council of Elders, Regional and National Committee members, Cherished Sponsors and Exhibitors, Lecturers of Faculties of Medical Laboratory Sciences and other Faculties here present,  Media representatives present, Distinguished Invited Guests​ & Dignitaries, Ladies​ and ​Gentleman,

I greet you and welcome you on behalf of the National Executive Council (NEC) of GAMLS to its 2020 Annual National and Electoral Congress scheduled for Tuesday 13^th to 17^th October 2020. The Annual National Congress is a requirement of GAMLS’ constitution which serves as the highest decision-making body of the great profession body of medical laboratory science in Ghana. It is a forum where we deliberate on issues of national health importance affecting our citizens. It is organised to give expression to the existence of GAMLS as a scientific institution. The resolutions made during this congress will guide leadership into the future.

OUR THEME

The theme for this 2020 Annual National Congress “ Building a Self- Reliant Healthcare Industry: Lessons from COVID 19 Era” is most appropriate considering the fact that it is being observed in a season of COVID-19. It is a clarion call to our nation to give greater attention to health care delivery as a crucial backbone to the development of our national economy. It is a time to appraise ourselves with the state of readiness for future pandemics.

Nana Chairman, permit me to commend the leadership of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) for the depth of reflection that went into choosing the theme. We do not need to wait to be taken by surprise by another pandemic before planning. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Mr. Chairman, there is no gainsaying that COVID-19 has taught us the following very important lessons.

1. not to always depend only on institutions outside this country or imports for our national developmental agenda. These countries are also vulnerable
2. that charity begins at home nations will always satisfy their own needs before considering to give others external assistance. In fact this under pines the foreign policy of all nations and must apply to Ghana. Ghana first!
3. Countries are most likely to give only the surplus of their resources. This was affected by this very maxim in the heat of the pandemic, we were left at the mercy of other countries. Ventilators, diagnostic kits, PPEs, etc. were unavailable in the international world
4. to localize our thinking and action as we also seek to influence the world through globalization.

Nana Chairman, due largely to divine orchestration, natural factors, and to some extent a couple of timely national healthcare interventions we were spared of the high mortality and morbidity rates of Covid-19 compared to other well-endowed economies across the globe. Nana Chairman other future pandemics may not treat us kindly and natural defenses conspired in our favour may not be on our side next time if timely preparation is not done NOW.

Let me on behalf of GAMLS commend the Ministry of Health and government for some of the innovative decisions to stimulate the local capacity of our Pharmaceutical, textiles, and antiseptic industries among others in order to produce medicines, Personal Protective Equipment, disinfectants, and fabricate hand-washing equipment.  This initiative must be consciously and aggressively scaled-up to embrace other sub-sectors in the health care industry particularly the health laboratory industry among others which has the potential to create an industrial boom and further assure better health care security.

Covid-19 has therefore provided us with a natural simulation or rehearsal of future reality with the benefit of hindsight experience. Globalization presents us with opportunities for scientific and technological advancement and has enabled equal access to knowledge and partnership, however, we must act locally in our national interest first. This philosophy or thinking must drive the acceleration of Ghana’s development agenda as we operate in a global community.

GAMLS draws attention to the nation to the need to seriously embrace Self-Reliance with the health care industry as our priority considering the devastating impact of a health crisis on all other sectors of national life and its role as a powerful determinant of economic growth and poverty reduction.

Nana Chairman, the need therefore to implement urgent health care reforms in order to accelerate our efforts at achieving Self-Reliance more than ever an imperative. This requires the injection of more investment into more human capital development, building adequate healthcare infrastructure/facilities, research, expansion of local manufacturing capacity medical equipment and commodities, and the adoption of responsive policies and regulations that address our local needs and meet global standards.

GAMLS calls on President and the government to increase the healthcare expenditure as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to at least 10 % which is still below WHO recommended targets of 15% in order to ensure sustainable healthcare.

SELF-RELIANCE IN GHANA’S MEDICAL LABORATORY INDUSTRY

NANA Chairman, as a professional body we wish to submit to the government that the  fundamental inputs which will propel Ghana to attaining Self-Reliance in our health care and medical laboratory industry are

1. the establishment of the Medical Laboratory Science Council and
2. the implementation of national laboratory policy documents

Medical laboratory services are recognized as a major components of the delivery of quality health services as they are required to provide evidence-based information for patient management and public health interventions. For these services to play their role effectively they need to be well organized, managed, and coordinated at all levels within Ghana.  These challenges require a more targeted and robust regulatory and policy regime for regular monitoring and enforcement of regulatory compliance.

The establishment of the Medical Laboratory Science Council will directly ensure quality, standardization, efficient diagnostic systems for patient care and safety as well as the comprehensive well-being of the citizenry.

Currently, there are five (5) healthcare practitioners’ regulatory councils of which one has been overwhelmed with eighteen (18) professions making it completely ineffective. There is thus the need to create the Medical Laboratory Science Council, which is the most populous and complex to manage group within the AHPC so that better attention could be given to the development of the others. The establishment of the Medical Laboratory Science Council will ensure quality, standardization, efficient diagnostic systems for patient safety, and the comprehensive well-being of the citizenry.

In addition, the Medical Laboratory Science Council will facilitate the socio-economic development of the medical laboratory science industry in particular, Ghana’s health sector and the nation as a whole, as well as the West African sub-region. A well-established and effectively regulated environment will attract investments into several sectors of the medical laboratory industry and other sectors of the country such as:

1. Further bolster Ghana’s Healthcare System by assuring a responsive diagnostic service in maternal and child health.
2. Catalyze Ghana’s Fiscal and Economic sector growth with tens of 1,000s of direct and indirect Job Created (industrial boom). The need to create a self-reliant national economy is more urgent than now than ever in Covid -19 era.
3. Environment, Water, and Sanitation sector by ensuring timely forensic, water, and food screen testing amongst others.
4. International Partnerships can serve as an effective vehicle for exporting excess of skilled Medical Laboratory Science Professionals from institutions that are well regulated to train highly Medical Laboratory Scientists in high volumes for the international market. This is healthy for ensuring an enviable foreign policy.
5. Developing dynamic industry-related institutions can be facilitated by the Medical Laboratory Science Council, such as:
   • Postgraduate Professional College for training highly Specialists Scientists,
   • Diagnostic Centres of Excellence for infectious diseases
   • International Accreditation and Allied institutions like Quality Assurance Scheme companies, Proficiency testing companies (ISO 15189 etc.)
   • Reference Laboratories for referral testing in the sub-region
   • Reagents, chemicals, and medical laboratory consumables manufacturing companies
   • Equipment and laboratory devices manufacturing companies
   • Logistics, supplies and allied commercial businesses including biomedical engineering services companies
   • And so on

The impact of the Medical Laboratory Science Council on quality of patient care therefore cannot be over-emphasized, ranging from standardization of results and ensuring that patients receive the highest quality of care and safety. It will also ensure that highly skilled professionals are trained to deliver reliable, accurate, and timely medical laboratory services.

We therefore appeal to you to consider as a matter of urgency the need to establish a Medical Laboratory Science Council out of the Allied Health Professions Council to regulate only Medical Laboratory Science Practice as a separate part of the Act.

1. Nana Chairman, there is an urgent need to implement the National Health Laboratory Policy (NHLP), National Health Laboratory Strategic Plan 2013-2017 (NHLSP), National Health Accreditation Policy(NAP) which were signed by both the Director-General of Ghana Health Service Dr. Ebenezer Appiah Denkyira and the then Minister of Health Hon. Hanny-Sherry Ayittey in 2013 as an of filling this policy gap. The development process of these policy documents was sponsored by the U.S Government and provision of technical support by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at a cost of 1.5 U.S Dollars. It is yet to be implemented because of interference from a section of physicians from the College of Physicians and Surgeons who consider it their right to head laboratories in Ghana as a condition to implementation even in the light of prohibition by laws of this nation. This cannot constitute a compelling basis for why Ghanaians should be denied quality health care or their health short-changed. Only laboratory professionals can adequately represent themselves. Meanwhile, the very problem of poor weak laboratory systems and lack of standardization in the industry are worsening by the day. We call for a clear direction from the government and the National Labour Commission on the above situation to enable so Ghanaians can enjoy improved healthcare.

In the healthcare environment specifically, the policy should set the foundation for the delivery of safe and cost-effective quality care. Ghana has over the years developed and implemented many Health policies and strategic plans to bring guidance, order and improvement to the quality of care. Included in these policies are Antimicrobial Resistance Policy and Strategic plan (2017), National Nutrition Policy launched in July 2016, the 2011 Nursing and Midwifery a 6-year strategic plan for midwifery and nursing was developed, has been reviewed as 2018-2022, the 2007 National Health Policy which is currently being reviewed as key interventions to strengthening specific subsector. We wish to strongly urge the government to as a matter implement the National health Laboratory Policy documents to enable Ghana to join the likes of Kenya and Uganda who are already experiencing a strong laboratory service, as a result, this intervention.

 COMMENDATIONS

1. GAMLS commends the President and government for the directive to construct 88 new hospitals across various districts in the country.
2. We also commend the government and all international and private partners for building the Ghana Infectious Disease Centre (GIDC) which is a center built to improve the medical diagnostic and research capacity of Ghana with regard to infectious diseases as a response to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.

• We also commend the government for granting clearances to 3456 allied health professionals including 1700 medical laboratory professionals who will be posted later this year. This is the first of its kind in recent times and should be sustained for graduates the following year. Building the self- reliant Human Resource is a crucial step in achieving self-reliance for this country.

1. The GAMLS is very grateful to the Minister for Health and the government for the support which the Association and West African Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science (WAPCMLS) received in February this year during the induction ceremony for 85 Foundation Fellows in Lagos. The Ghanaian delegation was led by no less a person than the Deputy Minister for Health of Ghana  Hon Alexander Kodwo Kom Abban who gave the delegation a great sense of national pride. It is our hope the ministry will continue to support the college to train more specialists and more consultant Medical Laboratory Scientists in order to meet the demands of the contemporary Health care needs of our citizens.
2. GAMLS again is grateful to Ministry of Health and Allied Health Professions Council for inducting 113 Six- year West Africa Health Organisation (WAHO) approved curriculum for Doctor of Medical laboratory Science graduates into the Council and for posting them out to selected institutions to begin their Housemanship. There is no doubt all citizens within the country stand to benefit from the services of these special cohort medical laboratory science doctors. We congratulate the University for Development Studies and Ghana for being the first institution and country in Africa to successful train these cohort of professionals for subregion.

Ghana is always the gate way to Africa and star of hope for the continent. The nomenclature of Doctor of Medical Laboratory Science (MLS.D) is in consonance with the need for enhanced quality skills, scope of body of knowledge, duration of training, course content, global best practices and in line with development in health sector professional degree terminology (e.g. doctor of optometry, doctor of pharmacy, doctor of dentistry etc). The graduates of the program will serve as vanguards for delivering high quality technical services and managerial services to the health sector in this 21^st Century. GAMLS anticipates clear directive from the Allied Health Professions Council to universities and training institutions to follow the footsteps of UDS by starting the MLS.D training.

VII. GAMLS commends the Minister of Health Hon. Kwaku Agyeman Manu for joining advocacy and providing leadership in the fight against high spate of quackery in the laboratory industry of health sector. This is a serious canker that threatens to disrupt the health care agenda of this nation. Imagine more than half of drivers in this country driving without valid driving licenses and its road safety implications. It is highly probable that most ‘treatment accidents’ are traceable to serious medical errors arising from this health menace. We call for an immediate joint inspection team of GAMLS, Allied Health Professions Council and the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency to inspect our health facilities as critical step to saving our innocent citizens from further ‘treatment accidents’ and preventable deaths.

VIII. We commend the government for constituting the Allied Health Professions Council Board in response to the outcry of the allied health fraternity earlier this year.  The President of our nation, Council of State, Office of Chief of Staff, Ministry of Health and it agencies have demonstrated that they have a listening institutions. We further commend leadership of Parliament, Ministry of Health, and Academia, the media and Chief Executive Officers of our Teaching Hospitals for the joint show of solidarity during our industrial action for inclusion of allied health professions to the proposed Teaching Hospital Boards.

1. Let met also commend the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) fund for supporting the GAMLS to highlight challenges confronting the laboratory industry in the health sector and the need for continuous advocacy for policy implementation to provide direction for the industry. BUSAC, we appreciate your support.

POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PROFESSION

Building on the legacy of our past administrations in the recent past lead by MLS David Tette-Donkor, Professor Clement Opoku-Okrah, Professor Anthony Andrew Adjei, Hon. Doctor Prince Sodoke Amuzu and MLS Thomas K Gyampomah, this current administration has made some moderate strides with support of all GAMLS members including

• Inauguration of West African College of Medical Laboratory Science (WAPCMLS) and the Ghana Chapter has been duly inaugurated to train Specialists and 85 Foundation Fellows were inducted into the WAPCMLS on 22^nd February, 2020 at Sheraton Hotel, Lagos. The residency will soon begin.
• Nana Chairman, I am happy to also share that the Society of Medical Laboratory Managers of Ghana has been fully incorporated, inaugurated and leaders sworn into office 25^th August 2020 in order to provide Clinical Leadership as part of the healthcare sector and mentorship to younger colleagues. The society will also promote practice of high ethical standards and conduct in the practice of medical laboratory science for the benefit of our clients.
• The entrepreneurs in the laboratory industry code-named “Labrepreneurs Network” has been legally registered in order to provide entrepreneurial leadership in how laboratories and business are managed in this country for benefit of our citizens. These institutions will provide mentorship to young colleagues and entrepreneurs in the laboratory industry.
• The Medical Laboratory Professionals Workers Union (MELPWU) has been duly registered as a Trade Union and to champion the labour concerns of members in the public sector. This will give some space for GAMLS concentrate on developing its             self as professional body and attaining the status of a Professional Institute in the near
• Work has began on the Association’s Secretariat building which began a year ago is currently at lintel level.
• The Ashanti Region branch office has been duly commissioned to facilitate the organization of activities in the region.
• Alignment of our Technical Officers on the Single Spine Salary Structure has been duly completed.
• Opportunities for inclusion of Allied Health Professionals of the Teaching on all Hospital Boards
• Creation of the position of Chief Programme Officer for Allied Health at the Ministry of Health to promote the polices and programs of Allied Health services in the country,
• There is a greater sense of purpose and unity among members and this is good for professional development
• Our Congress and International Biomedical Laboratory Science Day, CPD programmes have several innovations and successes such health Laboratory Summit, like panel discussions contemporary issues, high patronages
• Very vibrant Public Relations Network and advocacy Network which has helped to brand the association and promoted GAMLS as office loved for the good reasons.

CONCLUSION

I sincerely wish to thank all laboratory professions, sister professional bodies and unions, sponsors, and the media for standing by us during difficult times during the past year. Do not abandon GAMLS. I thank God for the success chalked during past year and ask for divine graces for years to come.

Nana Chairman, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, in summary Building a Self- Reliant Health care Industry is the only way to get prepared for future pandemics. This can be achieved among other things by investing generously into the right regulation and policies, scaling up infrastructure development and equipping them with the right human capital.  The lessons learned from Covid-19 must therefore not be taken for granted.  We need to Act now.

Have a Happy Covid -19 free Congress. We Are Together.  

Thank you

Observe one-minute silence for our General late MLS Michael Amewonye (FWAPCMLS) and all our faithful departed comrades.  Amen

MLS DR IGNATIUS A. N AWINIBUNO