College moves to advance medical laboratory services in West Africa
College moves to advance medical laboratory services in West Africa
The West African Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science (WAPCMLS) has canvased for the advancement of medical laboratory services in West Africa using cutting edge innovations, technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The President, WAPCMLS, Dr Hadza Bah (Gambia), made the made the call at the 5th Regional Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the College on Monday in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three-day conference has the theme: “Advancing Diagnostics and Medical Laboratory Services Using Cutting Edge Innovations and AI”.
The conference featured the induction of 76 new fellows of the college who cut across different West African Countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Benin Republic among others.
Bah, who emphasised that the world had gone digital, underscored the need for laboratory scientists to totally embrace digitalisation and AI for improved healthcare delivery, in order not to be left behind.
According to her, the future of medical laboratory science in Africa lies in the ability of the lab scientists to act collectively and boldly by embracing AI in a way that serves the realities of our community, align laboratory duagonitics with primary healthcare, emergency response and disease surveillance.
“The world is undergoing a profound transformation in healthcare, driven by artificial intelligence, robotics, molecular technologies and integrated digital systems.
“While these innovations offer significant opportunities, they also challenge us to reconsider our traditional models of laboratory science.
“They require the development of new competencies, the establishment of new collaborations, and the emergence of new leadership,” Bah said.
The Registrar of the College, Prof. Nafiu Amidu, urged the inductees to uphold the principles of peaceful, innovative and harmonious working relationship and to strive to make strides that lead to the growth of the profession.
Amidu also enjoined the inductees to harness technology for efficiency, saying that technological advancements could revolutionise medical laboratory practice in Africa.
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“Your induction into this prestigious college signifies your readiness to embark on this journey with a commitment to excellence, advancement and continuous learning.
“I, therefore, charge you all, as new inductees, to maintain professionalism in the course of discharging your mandates, respond to this call and contribute to the development of the profession,” he said.
The Chairman, Local Organising Committee of the programme, Prof. Kolawole Oyedeji, said the conference provided a unique opportunity for participants to engage with colleagues from across the region to share experiences and learn from one another.
According to him, the conference aims to promote collaboration, innovation and excellence in medical laboratory science and services, ultimately contributing to improved healthcare outcomes for our community and region.
The Chairman, WAPCMLS Nigerian Chapter, Prof. Musa Muhibi, explained the importance of AI, Information Technology and digitalisation in advancing healthcare service delivery.
Muhibi listed the benefits of digitalisation to include enhanced productivity, reduction of risks, reduced costs, fast and timely delivery, increased efficiency, reduced workloads among others.
He emphasised the need for laboratory practitioners to be mindful of the ethics/rules of the artificial intelligence practice and abide by them, to avoid wrong diagnosis, misdiagnosis and abuse of the system.
