Adepoju Paul Olusegun.
Improving laboratory services and workforce in rural health facilities.
J Pak Med Students Jan ;2(3):103-8.

Provision of efficient laboratory services is an essential aspect of a functioning healthcare system. However, as a result of paucity of funds, irregular power supply, limited equipments, administrative bottlenecks and few licensed medical laboratory scientists at rural medical laboratories, several rural healthcare facilities are without functioning medical laboratories. This article explores the training limitations of rural laboratory workforce and presents focus investigations that rural laboratories should carry out in accordance with WHO standards and recommendations. It also recommends methods that have been proven to be highly sensitive and specific, need minimal automation and training, could be easily controlled, and are reliable and reproducible. Laboratory health workforce in rural health facilities can aid safe motherhood by providing antenatal screening services for hemoglobin estimation using HemoCue method for early diagnosis of anemia. This article also recommends immunochromatographic testing methods for HIV, syphilis and malaria. Although a larger percentage of rural laboratories are ill-equipped to carry out tuberculosis screening, they can get involved by collecting, collating, storing and transporting the sputum samples to and from designated regional diagnostic facilities. With adequate exposure, provision of recommended diagnostics, retraining, quality control and assurance, laboratory officers in rural healthcare workforce can be trained to issue investigation reports that are not marred by the location of the laboratory, or circumstances in their health facilities.

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