BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY

The Technical University Act, 2016 (Act 922) mandates the Technical Universities to provide higher education in engineering, science and technology-based disciplines, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and applied arts and related discipline. In line with this mandate, the Bolgatanga Technical University is running the Bachelor of Science (BSC) in Medical Laboratory Science, which is a four-year full-time programme of study with a top-up and a Higher National Diploma in Medical Laboratory Science, which are aimed at producing Medical Laboratory Scientists to meet current demands in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases, injury and other health-related conditions as well as research. The programmes seek to impart knowledge through in-depth examination of the current principles, techniques and methods involved in laboratory practices and functions in health, research, industrial, and educational establishments. The inclusion of these programmes in the curricula of the Bolgatanga Technical University facilitates the training of these invaluable medical laboratory personnel in the country, particularly in the northern ecological zone where people refuse to accept posting to these rural areas thereby resulting in inadequacies in these skills. The filling of this gap will go a long way to ensure a healthy population with improved access to quality health services.

National relevance

Good health is central to the wellbeing and happiness of a country. It makes an important contribution to the economic progress of a healthy and productive nation. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as benchmarks for the provision of good health and well-being (SDG 3), eradication of poverty and hunger (SDG 1& 2) and provision of decent work and economic growth (SDG 8).

The Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and its international partners such as the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) have over the years put in control programmes such as the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), Tuberculosis (TB) Control Programme to combat infectious diseases, improve public health and general wellbeing of the Ghanaian society. There is a recent concern with regard to the emergence of viral diseases such as Ebola, Corona virus (Covid-19), and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which call for an urgent need to train laboratory technologists for the health sector. Medical laboratories and medical laboratory technologists and medical laboratory scientists are vital to disease control and prevention by providing a broad base disease control, preventive health care, applied research, and laboratory improvement services. Most rural communities in Ghana do not have adequate medical laboratory professionals to assist in the diagnoses of diseases of public health relevance (Asamani et al., 2018; Pehr and Akuamoa-Boateng., 2010; Schneidman et al., 2014; Wilson et al., 2018; Marinucci et al., 2013).

The Africa Centre for Health Policy Research and Analysis report reveals the lack of skilled health professionals to deliver healthcare services (ACH-PRA, 2018). It is projected that by 2030, there will be a global shortage of 15 million health professionals which will result in an increased demand of about 80 million health workers. Predictions are that low and middle-income countries such as Ghana might experience a more severe situation due to several chronic challenges (Scheffler et al., 2018).  The role of medical laboratory technologists and medical laboratory scientists therefore cannot be overemphasised.

Inadequacies in skills

The World Health Organization (WHO) identified that the training of Medical Laboratory professionals is inadequate due to past investment shortfalls in training and management of health workers and health systems (Kinfu et al., 2009; Zurn et al., 2009). In Ghana, the Medical Laboratory workforce is a little over 5000 (www.graphic.com.gh › News Headlines › Health), with a Staff client ratio of: One (1) Medical Laboratory Scientist to 140,000 population in Ghana (6th June, 2017 Adom online publication by Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy).

The high number of clients to medical laboratory professional’s ratio leads to overstretched laboratory personnel, fatigue, delegation of duties to unqualified personnel, transcription errors, mislabeling, exchange of patient’s results, delay in patient’s results and misdiagnoses of disease conditions. Furthermore, inadequate expertise in the use of modern technology in testing and diagnoses of diseases leads to misdiagnoses which may result in needless loss of lives.  These occurrences have negative impact on the quality of health service delivery in the country. The situation, therefore, places high demand for training of qualified Medical Laboratory Technologists and Medical Laboratory scientists. It is for these reasons that the BSc. Medical Laboratory Science and the Higher National Diploma (HND) in Medical Laboratory Technology programmes seek to address.

The programmes train students to acquire the requisite competencies to provide services across various medical laboratory units including; Clinical Microbiology (Mycology, Parasitology, Bacteriology, Virology), Chemical Pathology, Haematology, Blood Transfusion Science, Virology, Histopathology, Histochemistry, Immunology, Cytogenetics, Public Health and Epidemiology, Forensic Science, Molecular Diagnostics and Laboratory Management. Integral features of each of these specialties include diagnostic testing, research, consultation, education, information management, marketing and administration.

 VISION:

To be a leading academic department in medical laboratory sciences, fostering excellence in education, strengthening, improving teaching, learning, research and community service as well as international and stakeholder collaboration particularly with industry and other Universities while producing competent and innovative professionals who contribute to improving healthcare outcomes.

MISSION:

The mission of the department is to provide career-focused and skills-based education, conduct innovative research, applying state-of-the-art laboratories for practical training, and entrepreneurship development in a conducive environment and improve resource mobilisation and utilisation.

GOAL:

To produce highly competent Medical Laboratory professionals through innovative education, research and practical trainings that enhance healthcare outcomes and advance laboratory medicine while focusing on student enrolment, taking into account diversity, quality and equity, improving infrastructure facilities and services for teaching and research.

 OBJECTIVES:

The specific objectives of the programmes are to:

1. Train students in Medical Laboratory Science to acquire knowledge and skills to perform various laboratory tests on biological specimens with precision.
2. Train students to acquire professional and ethical competencies to ensure responsible health service delivery.
3. Equip students with the capacity to conduct basic research in order to enhance their technical and critical thinking skills needed to solve current evolving health problems.
4. Train students to acquire entrepreneurial competencies for self-employment.

PROGRAMMES UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY

1. PROGRAMME TITLE: Bachelor of Science (BSC) in Medical Laboratory Science

This is a four (4) year programme duration, referred to as Bachelor of Science (BSC) in Medical Laboratory Science under the School of Applied Science and Arts, Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, located at the Bolgatanga Technical University, Sumbrungu Campus, Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.

2. PROGRAMME TITLE: Higher National Diploma in Medical Laboratory Science

This programme is of three (3) year duration, referred to as Higher National Diploma in Medical Laboratory Science, under the School of Applied Science and Arts, Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, located at the Bolgatanga Technical University, Sumbrungu Campus, Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.

COLLABORATIONS

The department is in collaboration with the following bodies to support the training of the students:

1. Ghana Health Service (GHS)-Upper East Regional Hospital, Bolgatanga and Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC)
2. Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC).
3. Ministry of Health (MoH)