The Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) has called for increased government investment in laboratory services to ensure the successful implementation of the Free Primary Healthcare Programme.
It said adequate funding, equipment, reagents and personnel were critical to ensuring accurate and timely diagnoses as more Ghanaians accessed health care under the programme.
The President of GAMLS, Dr Eric Kofi Aidoo, made the call at the association’s 2026 National Congress in Accra, held on the theme: “Diagnostics at the Heart of Healthcare: Strengthening Laboratory Systems in Ghana for Ghana’s Free Primary Healthcare Agenda."
He said although community screening was important in identifying potential health conditions, laboratory investigations remained essential to confirming diagnoses and guiding appropriate treatment.
“Screening identifies the flags, but laboratory results provide the confirmation needed to move from suspicion to diagnosis and treatment,” he stated.
Strengthening laboratory systems
Dr Aidoo said the expansion of free primary health care would increase demand for diagnostic services, which would require the government to strengthen laboratory capacity, particularly at district hospitals, health centres and underserved communities.
He identified inadequate staffing, shortages of reagents and equipment, weak quality assurance systems and challenges with specimen transportation as some of the issues that need urgent attention.
Dr Aidoo also reiterated the call of the association for the establishment of a dedicated Medical Laboratory Council to regulate the profession, saying a specialised regulatory body would provide stronger oversight of professional standards, discipline and continuing education.
He said preliminary consultations and a technical meeting had been held, with a report submitted to the Chief Director for the consideration of the Minister of Health.
Quality diagnostics
The Greater Accra Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Robert Amesiya, who was the guest speaker, said laboratory services were central to the success of the Free Primary Healthcare Programme, particularly in the early detection and management of non-communicable diseases.
He explained that screening alone was insufficient without competent laboratory professionals to validate results and identify complications associated with diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
“Without strong laboratory systems, early screening cannot translate into accurate diagnosis and effective treatment,” he said.
Dr Amesiya, therefore, called for increased investment in laboratory infrastructure, qualified personnel, equipment and supplies, as well as efficient specimen transportation and timely reporting of results.
Reagent shortages
In a keynote presentation, a member of GAMLS, Dr Bernard Nkrumah, highlighted challenges confronting medical laboratory scientists under the Free Primary Healthcare Programme.
He said reagent shortages and financing constraints remained major obstacles, with some laboratories experiencing downtime of up to 61 days due to unavailability of essential reagents.
“We cannot guarantee reliable diagnostic results when laboratories continue to experience reagent shortages and prolonged periods of downtime,” he stated.
He said unlike pharmacies, which benefited from the National Drug Revolving Fund, laboratories lacked a comparable financing arrangement to ensure a consistent supply of diagnostic materials.
Dr Nkrumah also identified inadequate staffing, limited technical competencies and weak quality assurance systems as challenges that could undermine the reliability of laboratory results.
He proposed the development of tiered diagnostic guidelines to specify the tests that could be conducted at different levels of healthcare facilities, based on their capacity.
He further called for the expansion of diagnostic services to sub-district facilities, clinics and Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) compounds to improve access to testing.
Free Primary Health Care
The Free Primary Healthcare Programme is a flagship health sector initiative introduced by President John Dramani Mahama and launched on April 15 this year.
The programme, which is expected to cover 4,500 health facilities across 136 districts, is designed to improve access to essential health care by removing financial barriers at the primary healthcare level, particularly for people in underserved and deprived communities.
Awards, recognition
The congress also featured an awards and recognition ceremony during which former executive and members in good standing were honoured for their contributions to the association.
The traditional priest and head of stools of Ngleshie Amanfro, Numo Kamkam, and the Divisional Chief of Ngleshie Amanfro, Nii Kwashie Goblor IV, also received citations in recognition of their support to the association in acquiring land for its activities.
