Ghana Medical Association of Laboratory Scientists are calling for advanced diagnostic training to enhance their capacity to combat disease outbreaks.
The scientists, who play a critical role in disease diagnosis and surveillance, say that equipping them with cutting-edge molecular diagnostic skills is essential to effectively detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks.
Medical laboratory scientists are the backbone of disease surveillance, but they need to upgrade their skills to stay ahead of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.”
A specialised training programme aimed at equipping medical laboratory scientists with cutting-edge molecular techniques for effective disease outbreak response and public health interventions has been completed.
The University of Ghana School of Public Health, in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, organised a short course on Applied Molecular Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases.
The two-week course provided hands-on training to enhance diagnostic accuracy, foster data-driven decision-making, and strengthen laboratory networks.
Dr Gloria Amegatcher, a molecular epidemiology facilitator and public relations officer of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists, emphasised the need to empower medical laboratory scientists with molecular diagnostic skills for disease surveillance.
The training aimed to equip medical laboratory scientists with the expertise needed to improve disease surveillance through genetic characterisation of pathogens, strengthen laboratory capacity for timely outbreak detection and response, and combat emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
Ultimately, this training contributes to global health security.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
