By Danmaryam Zayamu
The West Africa Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science, has expressed its readiness to change the narrative of undue long delay in unraveling the causative agents of disease in the African region.
The Chairman, Steering Board of the West African Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science, Dr. Godswill Okara, disclosed this at a pre-media briefing on the induction/investiture and 2020 Annual Congress of the College, in Abuja, yesterday.
The event, he revealed, will take place at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, on the February 22-23.
He, therefore, called on experts in the health sector to join hands and work together for efficient service delivery of health services in the West African region.
“The College is poised to change the narrative of unduly long delay in identifying the causative agents of diseases in our region by ensuring that the complement of specialists needed in our region is available.
“We call on all members of the health fraternity to join hands with us in the College for the realisation of the goal of synergy, collaboration and efficient service delivery in the West African region.
“The College will roll out a well- coordinated and integrated training curriculum and programme across the region to develop the required corps of specialists and experts in all the sub-disciplines of the profession,” he said.
Responding to a question on Nigeria’s level of preparedness to confront the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) if it comes to the country, Dr. Okara said: “Nigeria have the capacity to confront the Covid-19. In 2014, nobody will imagine that Nigeria had the capacity to diagnose Ebola virus and to respond.
“The same way, the DG of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has come out to address Nigerians that we have the capacity and assured that there is no cause for alarm.
“Medical laboratory scientists are fully involved and working behind the scene in the various medical laboratories like it happened in the Lagos in 2014.
“We are leveraging on that to stimulate and catalyse the development of capacity across the region.
“We may never know the capacity we have in-country. In October 2014, we went for a conference in Taiwan, when we introduced ourselves as Nigerian delegates, we were the cynosure of the entire congress.
“Our colleagues from all over the world were wondering how we managed to over the Ebola epidemic.
“That is why we are saying, given the enabling environment and the infrastructural facility made available Nigerians can perform wonders. I say it with all sense of modesty and responsibility.
“We are not wishing that Coronavirus should come to our clime, but if it does come, we have the capacity, the personnel and facilities to react appropriately.”
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