Experts raise alarm over malaria tests by unqualified persons

The Guild of (private) Medical Laboratory Directors (GMLD) has raised alarm over the incessant cases of malaria diagnosis by unqualified medical personnel across the country.   It described the act as not only unethical and criminal, but highly hazardous in view of the potential risk of spreading other contagious diseases like Ebola to unsuspecting drug […]

The Guild of (private) Medical Laboratory Directors (GMLD) has raised alarm over the incessant cases of malaria diagnosis by unqualified medical personnel across the country.  

It described the act as not only unethical and criminal, but highly hazardous in view of the potential risk of spreading other contagious diseases like Ebola to unsuspecting drug buyers.

National president of the guild, Chioma Austin Onuorah maintained that malaria diagnosis was a crucial step in malaria control and must be done by qualified medical laboratory scientists.

She called on Nigerians to seek malaria diagnosis and other medical tests from only qualified and licensed medical laboratories.

She said the guild observed that some patent medicine stores, pharmacies and street hawkers were taking advantage of unsuspecting members of the public to conduct malaria tests using devices, adding that these devices, in the wrong hands, could  lead to false negative or false positive results with far reaching implications and drug resistance. 

Onuorah said GMLD was seriously concerned about the rampant misdiagnosis of ailments leading to complications and untimely deaths. 

"GMLD hereby advises the general public that third party blood and body fluid testing is regulated in Nigeria, therefore only qualified and licensed medical laboratories in Nigeria are permitted to conduct tests on citizens," she said.