Few days ago, the media was awash with news that medical practitioners at some public institutions were working in cahoots with some laboratories to fleece unsuspecting patients of their money.
The story portrayed doctors and nurses at public health institutions as gluttonous agents of specific private laboratories that are only after money.
For time immemorial, private laboratories have complemented public laboratories in service delivery because of phenomenal turnaround times.
It is true that some laboratories have their bikers at hospitals and that has allowed for quick delivery and processing of blood samples with results being delivered back in no time.
We do not condone unwarranted blanket attacks on medical practitioners, some of whom are actually donating money to pay for patients’ tests.
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Medical practitioners often come under relentless attacks even when they try to deliver the best service to patients.
We agree there are bad apples among nurses and doctors, but making a blanket attack on our hard-working practitioners in the midst of material shortages, is not justified.
The Medical Laboratory and Clinical Scientists Council registrar Agnes Chigora should have fully understood why in most cases patients’ samples are referred to private laboratories from public health institutions.
I worked at one of the public hospitals where major tests were not done because of a whole array of reasons.
There were no qualified laboratory scientists, there were no reagents or even that the machines were too small to run such required tests.
There are some instances where results are required within minutes which can only be achieved through laboratories that have short turnaround times.
All this is done to serve and save patients in many instances. It is not everyone who is after fleecing patients and medical practitioners deserve great appreciation considering the unbearable brain drain afflicting the nation.
With both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation at bottom low, the few remaining practitioners should be applauded for standing tall in the country.
It is absurd to hear that the Medical Laboratory and Clinical Scientists Council wants to have reports against the so-called errant practitioners and threats of disciplinary action.
I am not sure if there is such law that compels the said council to take action against what is said to be happening.
We understand the primary duty of medical practitioners is to provide quality care to patients which can come easily with proper diagnoses.
Attending to a patient without a quick diagnosis because the available medical laboratory does not run the required tests is tantamount to manslaughter.
The options are minimal for the attending medical practitioners except to outsource the services from laboratories they have worked with before because they may hold trust, efficiency thereby producing reliable results.
It is undeniable that many public laboratories do not perform major tests due to a number of factors ranging from staff shortage, obsolete equipment, and lack of necessary reagents among others.
Private laboratories come in to close the gap, thus complementing government efforts.
The high numbers of emerging private laboratories is good for micro-economic dynamics as prices may be kept low because of high supplies.
The country is in need of confidence in health and no country can develop without health as health and development are symbiotic in nature.
Portraying our medical practitioners as money robbers will only serve to bring more salt to an injury where the medical sector remains in skill doldrums because of extensive mass drain.
