Association Wants Administrators To Manage RSG Hospitals

Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, Rivers State Council has called on the state government to hand over the management of all government owned hospitals to trained health administrators for better health care service delivery in the state.

The state chairman of the association, Dr. Chris Mbata made the call while briefing journalists on the programme of activities to mark the 2012 Medical Week by the association held at the union secretariat in Port Harcourt, Monday, with the theme: Lassar Fever and Public Health, the Role of Medical Laboratory Scientists in Definitive Diagnosis.”

Dr. Mbata disclosed that hospitals were managed by trained health administrators across the world, adding that the appointment of medical doctors as the managers of hospitals is responsible for the abysmal performance of health institutions in the state and Nigeria at large.

According to him, appointing trained health administrators as managers of government owned hospital would not only enable state government realise its health programmes but also promote professionalism in the profession.

“Administrators should be given the responsibility to manage our hospitals while other medical professionals like laboratory scientists, medical doctors etc are appointed as advisory body. This would make our health institutions live up to their responsibilities” he stated.

He used the opportunity to call on the state governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi to fulfill his earlier promise on the matter and hand over the management of all the state owned hospitals to trained health administrators.

Dr. Mbata further called on the state chief executive to reconstitute the Health Management Board with a view of addressing the numerous challenges in the sector adding that the board was dissolved in 2006 without a new one in place.

He appealed for creation of a directorate of a medical laboratory scientists in the Ministry of Health that would take care of all the challenges confronting members of the profession in the state, while condemning the non-inclusion of medical laboratory scientists in the recent state government recruitment exercise he described such marginalisation as uncalled for.

He called on the federal government to urgently commence the process of amending the national health bill in order to address all the grey areas noticed in the law which have become impediment in the development of the health sector in the country.

The state chairman condemned the insecurity ravaging the country and urged the Federal Government to step actions that would curtail and stop the wave of insecurity across the country.

The week log activities would feature, health lectures, free medical test among others.