Medical Laboratory practitioners drawn from private and public hospitals across the country have been taken through intensive five-day training to boost their skills.

Participants received training in the international standard for medical laboratory accreditation (ISO 15189), fundamentals of healthcare quality and safety, basic quality management systems as per ISO 15189, risk management plan and auditing principles among others.

The six participants came from the Bank of Ghana Clinic, Ho Teaching Hospital, in the Volta Region, the Trust Hospital in Accra, St Patrick’s Hospital in the Ashanti Region and the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.

Executive Director of the African Institute of Health Quality, Safety and Accreditation (AfIHQSA) – organisers of the training course – urged participants to employ the knowledge they have acquired to enhance healthcare delivery at their outfits.

Dr Gilbert Buckle urged the participants to be agents of change and share their experiences with others for improved health care delivery.

Dr Buckle made the comments on Friday during a brief closing ceremony and presentation of certificates for the Medical Laboratory Quality Manager training course that was held in Accra.

AFIHQSA organised the training course in collaboration with Quality and Accreditation Institute (QIA) in India.

Dr Buckle also commended participants for their resilience and commitment towards the successful completion of the programme.

He said the course was to broaden the knowledge of practitioners to appreciate their role and ability to advance patients safety through medical diagnostics.

“The Institute trains frontline healthcare workers in the principles and application of quality and safety in health systems. It is our hope that we will serve as a vehicle to bring lasting improvement in health systems across the continuum of care in the world”, he said.

The Chief Executive Officer India-based QIA, Dr Bhupendra Kumar Rana, urged the participants to make a positive impact in their organizations by putting into practice the skills they have acquired at the programme.

He said the programme has added more knowledge to their existing ideas and urged them to continue to build their capacities to improve laboratory services in the country.