Accra, June 27, GNA - The Medical Laboratory Technology Students Association (MELTSA) on Monday called on the Government to expedite action on the award of accreditation to the School of Medical Laboratory Technology to enable it to run its diploma programme effectively. The School, which is located within the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital premises, has offered training in Laboratory Technology to hundreds of students for the past 59 years until recently when it started a diploma programme.

Mr Paul Adongo, President of the Student's Representative Council (SRC), at a ceremony to launch activities for their weeklong celebrations, stated that though the school played a major role in quality health care delivery, it received little support and attention from government. "The school has no means of transport, a well resourced library and an expanded hostel facility to accommodate the increasing number of students," he said.

Mr Adongo said it was in the light of such problems and more that they instituted the weeklong celebrations to sensitise the public on the role of the laboratory technologist and to foster good hospital staff-student relationship based on mutual understanding, trust and selflessness to ensure quality health care delivery. It was also an opportunity for the Association to raise funds to support its fieldwork.

The five-day celebrations, under the theme: "Reducing Malaria Morbidity and Mortality in Children Under Five; The Role of the Medical Laboratory Scientist," is aimed at creating public awareness on the dangers of malaria, the use of insecticide treated bed nets and the need for voluntary blood donation. Activities to commemorate the week include public health education, free medical laboratory screening exercise, a voluntary blood donation, fund raising and a dinner dance.

Mr Adongo said malaria constituted about 40 per cent of all Out-Patient Department (OPD) cases in children under-five years and since such children were highly anaemic, they needed blood transfusion. He appealed to the public to voluntarily donate blood to help save the lives of such children and to ensure that there was enough blood in the blood bank for emergencies.

Mr Akwete Armah, General Secretary, Ghana Association of Biomedical Scientists, stated that the services of medical laboratory scientists in the health system made it possible for medical practitioners to make appropriate and accurate diagnosis of diseases. He called for national support in the area of preventing malaria in children under-five and towards the donation of blood to save lives.