Firm Advocates Standardisation in Healthcare
Ayodeji Ake
The Managing Director, Clina-Lancet Laboratories Nigeria, Ms. Olayemi Dawodu, has called for standardisation across the Nigerian healthcare value chain.
Dawodu made the submission at the 7th Continuous Medical Education (CME) organised by Clina-Lancet Laboratories Nigeria, which held in Lagos yesterday.
Speaking against the backdrop of the theme: “Health Promotion: An Effective Tool For Global Health”, Dawodu shared that as healthcare transcends boundaries and communities, the onus lies on healthcare practitioners to incorporate best practices in keeping with current global standard.
The MD of the first ISO certified laboratory added that while quality of health may be impacted by social and economic factors, healthcare practitioners must keep abreast with current innovations within the health sector to remain relevant in meeting the diverse healthcare needs of the public.
Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the event, she said the event is aimed at “strengthening the health care system”. She said: “We understand that to achieve health promotion, it’s not only the health care sector that is involved. It involves a multisectoral approach. Most of the things that ensure health are in the social determinants that we have.”
“Using health promotion as a global tool, we are speaking to stakeholders and policymakers at the level of bringing these organisations to the table at the CME which are some of the multiple pronged ways we going to arrive at driving health promotion.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the plenary, the Country Quality Assurance Manager, Dr. Jean Njab, noted that as professionals work towards the mission to entrench global standard in healthcare practice, there is need to incorporate measurements to gauge patient progress and monitor successive outcomes.
He said: “If we have to talk about quality in healthcare, we have to add metrics to healthcare. The only way to make patient safer is to improve quality unrestrained. Quality without metric is wishful thinking.
“That simply means that we should be able to measure what we are managing and then provide leadership in that area. The Six Sigma metric is what enables us to put scale and standard to healthcare. So once we have the metrics, we can measure. Once we can measure, we can manage. Once we can manage, we can now provide better healthcare.”
Mrs Atinuke Onayiga, the Chairperson Lagos State Health Service Commission who represented the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Mr. Akin Abayomi, noted that the state government is proud to be partner with Clina-Lancet Laboratories in redefining the nation’s healthcare landscape.
She noted that as healthcare remains a focal area in building sustainable societies, it is imperative for healthcare professionals to build strong institutions and encourage collaboration which would drive the entire sector.
She explained that healthcare practitioners have the power to revolutionise the Nigerian healthcare system.
She said: “Healthcare cannot advance if we do not follow the recent advances and trends in healthcare as regards to people and diagnostics. Together, we will explore how health promotion can be a driving force in achieving global health dignity, breaking down barriers and making healthcare a universal right.
“Throughout the course, I believe that we will delve into the various facets of preventive measures, including the nature of accurate diagnostics to lifestyle choices and to community engagement, which I believe health education will go a long way and that onus depends on not just only government and the primary healthcare system, but each and every one of us. As healthcare professionals, we have the power to effect change, to educate and to empower individuals and communities to take control of their health.”
