By Jimitota Onoyume

Delta state government has been urged to establish the Directorate of Medical laboratory services in the Ministry of Health to regulate medical laboratory operations.

Chairman of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN), Delta State Branch, Dr Bini Nathaniel and the Secretary, Uwagbai Isioma , made the appeal at a briefing in Warri ,saying the Directorate would regulate and assist to ensure quality control on matters of blood collection, transfusion and also enforce sanctions in cases of unprofessional conduct.

“The directorate regulates and ensures policy implementation, monitoring and Inspection, enforcement of professional ethics, quality assurance, quality control, and investigation of complaints. It also applies sanctions and disciplinary actions. Creation of the department will help forestall unhealthy and unethical practice in the state from occurring.” , they said.

The body also warned its members to ensure they complied with established professional, ethical, and safety standards guiding blood donation, laboratory practices, and transfusion services.

It said it was ready to cooperate with the police and any other security agencies if any of its members were found to have compromised or violated the standard practice in blood collection and transfusion.

” We assure the police and members of the public that as a body we will provide all necessary professional cooperation and support to the police and other relevant authorities to ensure that justice, fairness, and due process are served whenever any unethical conduct involving a Medical Laboratory professional is suspected or reported “, it said.

Continuing, it said : “The training, licensing, and professional conduct of practitioners are regulated by the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria(MLSCN), which operates under the provisions of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria Act. This regulatory framework ensures that medical laboratory services, including blood screening for transfusion, comply with nationally approved standards and international best practices.

Furthermore, national blood transfusion activities are coordinated by the National Blood Service Commission, which promotes safe blood donation, screening, storage, and distribution across the country”, the group said.

It would be recalled that the police recently said it was investigating a case of a laboratory professional who collected blood from a donor for transfusion under unhygienic conditions.