Posted on: Fri 26-06-2020

A former President, Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, Dr Toyosi Raheem, has said the reason for the acceptability of rapid diagnostic testing in Nigeria is because of its reliability.

Raheem, at a briefing organised to flag off the inaugural edition of the ISN Medical Laboratory Scientist of the Year Award, urged laboratory scientists to shun rapid diagnostic testing that had not been validated.

He said, “Molecular testing is more concise and more reliable than the rapid diagnostic testing. Many of the rapid diagnostic testings that have been introduced in the country cannot perform satisfactorily.  We cannot rely on a testing kit that has not been validated.”

The Executive Director, ISN Products Nigeria Limited, Mr Felix Ofungwu, said the award was instituted as part of the company’s contribution towards encouraging excellence amongst medical laboratory scientists in Nigeria.

Ofungwu described medical laboratory scientists as the unsung heroes of the medical practice who play a very key role in health service delivery and were well-deserving of honour and recognition like their counterparts in the medical sector.

“Medical laboratory scientists are the bedrock of the medical practice as all others including the doctors, nurses and pharmacists rely on their diagnosis to provide quality health care and treatment. They have always been in the background but now with the ISN Medical Laboratory Scientist of the Year Award, they will be brought to the limelight and celebrated,” he said.

He added that the entry for the award would run between June 24 and August 22, urging all interested medical laboratory scientists to download the form from ISN’s website.

Source: Punch

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