LUTH becomes first teaching hospital with ISO 15189 accredited laboratory in Nigeria

A MAJOR milestone was recorded in the history of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in the Health sector of Nigeria, as the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Idi-Araba became the first hospital with an ISO 15189 Accredited laboratory.

      The certificate of international accreditation was recently presented to the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Akin Osibogun, at a board meeting by the Chairman of PathCare Laboratories, Prof. Ibironke Akinsete.

       LUTH was recently at the forefront of the containment of Ebola virus by providing the first Virology Laboratory in Nigeria to provide testing for the deadly virus.

       The CMD of LUTH, after receiving the certificate, remarked that, the PPP, which was approved by the erstwhile minister of health, professor Oshotimehin in 2009 is a contributing factor in achieving the ISO 15189 accreditation.

      She added that, “Starting was not easy because many people did not buy into the PPP project, but the board approved it because they were convinced that it was better we had laboratory services in-house to improve patient management as wrong diagnosis and failed treatment was a major issue.

      “We treat people but do not get accurate results because of wrong diagnosis from these laboratories. We now have direct access to highly specialized testing which has enabled us provide special treatment and improved 24 hour care. Our partnership with PathCare has yielded positive result. This gives credence to the fact that the way forward for health sector in Nigeria is Public Private Partnership.”

      Prof. Ibironke Akinsete, who on behalf of PathCare presented the certificate, to the board members congratulated LUTH on being the first teaching hospital running a successful ISO accredited Laboratory. She said, “When we started this Public Private Partnership in LUTH it was very challenging but the partnership has worth it.  

      “Presently, our laboratories in Lagos and Abuja are ISO accredited and LUTH laboratory has now become the newest with this international status. The essence of this accreditation is that your results are accurate, reliable, reproducible and acceptable anywhere in the world. We have testimonies from people who compare results gotten from our laboratory with that of other countries. The partnership with LUTH on the Public Private Partnership has yielded landmark result,” she added. 

Source : The Guardian , 25th Sep 2014