By Adiga Julius and Damba Rogers
In a bid to improve diagnosis services to patients across the country, pathologists are now calling for well streamlined and coordinated diagnosis systems to facilitate the faster flow of information related to the patient diagnosis to various centers.
Speaking at the opening of the regional training of pathologists at Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) , the national coordinator laboratory quality management systems, Patrick Ogwok raises a point of mismatching tests which in the end lead to wrong treatment hence adding to huge health complications to patients.
Ogwok is of the view that all laboratories in the country be it private or public be inter linked to have faster transmission and sharing of results for faster treatment and sometimes advise.
Giving her key note speech, the permanent secretary ministry of health Dr. Diana Atwine reminded the pathologists of the importance of producing accurate and timely results to patients as well the health experts to work on the patients upon referral.
She then promises that all is being done by the ministry to have better equipment and more man power to improve laboratory services mainly the work of pathologists in the country.
Meanwhile, the head of the central public health laboratory services, Dr. Susan Ndidde Nabadda attributes poor diagnosis services, later and wrong diagnosis especially to cancer related cases to poor transportation, sample collection, sample handling, sample fixation.
The country currently has only 20 practicing pathologists and 10 internationally certified laboratories with plans to have 25 laboratories certified globally by the end of 2020.
The training is planned to reach all regions of the country as a means to enhance the capacity of pathologists in Uganda.
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