Lab scientists in Africa brainstorm on coronavirus diagnostics

As part of the efforts to find a cure for the Coronavirus, which devastated the globe, CelebrateLAB has collaborated with West Africa Scientists to provide much-needed knowledge for medical laboratory professionals.

The virtual training series was hosted in partnership with the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) and the Ghana Health Service and in collaboration with other laboratory professionals across West Africa.

An average of about 600 Medical Laboratory Professionals from across Africa and outside the continent, participated in each of the six virtual series.

The over six-month virtual series made it possible for Medical Laboratory professionals to benefit from valuable regional resources of experienced Scientists who work on the continent and have first-hand knowledge of the issues impacting healthcare systems in the region.

The sessions covered areas such as COVID-19 Patient Sample Management: Testing for Diagnosis and Routine Care; Diagnostic Challenges in COVID-19 Pandemic Response in West Africa; Biosafety in the Era of COVID-19; Serological Diagnosis of COVID-19; Molecular Diagnostics of COVID-19; and Creating and Sustaining the Value Chain in the Health Laboratory Industry.

Speaking in an interview on Onua FM’s Yen Sempa on Tuesday, November 24, a Consultant Medical Laboratory Scientist and Research Fellow at the Kintampo Health Research Centre, Dr. Dennis Adu-Gyasi, who led some of the sessions, explained that “with the Covid-19 outbreak and restrictions introduced globally, thereafter, we were not sure how Medical Laboratory Professionals were going to acquire Continuous Professional Development (CPD) training to renew their practicing license, as traditionally, credits were only awarded for in-person trainings”.

“Through the collaboration, we were able to impact knowledge to professionals in the comfort of their working environment, while attaining the needed credits to renew their professional licenses,” he explained.

He added that “the diverse scientific experts from the region who facilitated the sessions, have set the tone for us to work together to make the continent self-sufficient in all aspects of medical laboratory practice”.

Dr. Dennis Adu-Gyasi further said: “We can’t compare our labs with those in the US, Europe and other parts of the world but we have the qualified lab scientists in Africa”.

He advised Ghanaians to obey the safety protocols because the disease is still around.

“Wearing a mask is difficult…because of the sun; you are tempted to take off the mask but the disease is still around so we must wear it.”