Today, Monday, 15 April 2024, marks International Medical Laboratory Science Day.

The day is celebrated to increase awareness of the role Medical Laboratory Scientists play in providing health care.

The global theme for the celebration is “Guardians of Quality and Patient Safety: Biomedical Laboratory Scientists” as selected by the International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science (IFBLS) is to reflect the health issues around the world and support the UN and WHO’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists together with Medical Laboratory Science professionals across the world in celebrating International Medical Laboratory Science Day, in a statement, stressed that the “role of Medical Laboratory Scientists cannot be well achieved without effective regulatory and professional development regimes.“

It, therefore, called on the “authorities to initiate steps to amend the relevant laws to improve the regulation” of the “profession for patient safety and quality diagnostic services as well as the establishment of a Ghana College of Medical Laboratory Science to promote specialisation of professionals to contribute to patient care”.

It further called for the “expansion of opportunities for professionals in all spheres of the healthcare industry and beyond (including the manufacturing sector where there is a big opportunity for stakeholders to engage the profession to create employment as well as gain foreign exchange through exportation)”.

It commended the government on the “Agenda 111 Project”, and called on the project managers to “open up” for the association’s “professional input” in order for the country to get the best out of the project to enhance patient care and ensure that the facilities for the medical laboratory meet international standards.

It also assured Ghanaians of that the medical laboratory professionals in the country are “committed to quality care to clients and are open to collaborating with all stakeholders to advance the course of clients.”