Virology Institute To Collaborate With Guild On TB Diagnosis

The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN), says it will collaborate with the Guild of Medical Laboratory Directors (GMLD) to carry out more tuberculosis diagnoses across the country.
Dr Aderonke Agbaje, Chief of Party, Tuberculosis Local Organisations Network (TB LON) project at the institute, made the disclosure in an interview with the newsmen on Monday in Abuja.
Agbaje said that IHVN and the Guild would continue to advocate to all private medical laboratory scientists to screen all their clients for tuberculosis.
“We are partners in the quest to end tuberculosis in our lifetime.
“We will ensure that private laboratories are able to reach many Nigerians who may not go to government hospitals when they cough persistently for two weeks or more.
“We have seen that private medical providers are screening more tuberculosis cases than public hospitals.
“Under the institute’s Global Fund Public Private Partnership Mix (PPM) project, more than 23,000 tuberculosis cases were identified from January 2020 to June 2020 by private and non-governmental providers,” she said.
Agbaje added that the flagship intervention of placing a gene expert machine in a private laboratory had yielded tremendous results, with the Federal Ministry of Health not having to worry about support for back-up power, human resources and industrial strikes.
Also speaking with newsmen, Elochukwu Adibo, GMLD’s National President, assured Nigerians that the guild would continue to promote quality services and professional accountability among private medical laboratory and in-hospital directors, managers and owners.
“We are ensuring that laboratory test results are of highest reliability while assisting regulatory authorities to stamp out quackery and malpractice,” he said.
Adibo added that the guild was poised to fight HIV and tuberculosis among the 60-70 per cent of the Nigerian population that access health care through the private sector. (NAN)