FDA AWARDED THE BEST PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORY CENTRE OF THE YEAR AND BEST CEO

The Ghana Food and Drugs Authority's (FDA), Laboratory has been awarded the Best Public Health Laboratory Centre of the Year, 2022 and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mrs. Delese Darko, adjudged the Best Public CEO at the just ended maiden Ghana Medical Laboratory Excellence Award 2022, held on 20th August, 2022 in Accra.

The award thus recognized the FDA's Centre for Laboratory Services and Research (CLSR) for the role it played in healthcare delivery. That of the CEO was for her excellence, creativity and industrious leadership as well as to celebrate Mrs. Darko for her consistency in the regulation of food, drugs, medical devices, household chemicals, cosmetics, tobacco and tobacco products, blood and blood products in Ghana.

The awards night, which was organized by Africmedia Galaxy, an events management firm, in partnership with the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HEFRA), was aimed at promoting a healthy competition in the field of medical laboratory.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of Africmedia Galaxy, Mr. Joseph Egyir Sarfo, said without laboratories, finding solutions to people's health problems would be difficult, and hence the need to celebrate distinguished laboratory centers and practitioners who had made treatment easier. He further added that laboratory medicine remained a neglected area, particularly in developing countries and as a result, the important role of the laboratory centers in diagnosis of disease and subsequent management of patients was not much appreciated.

Dr. Lawrence Ofori-Boadu, the Acting Director for Institutional Care Division of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), reiterated that medical laboratories and their associate professionals were an integral part of the country's healthcare system without which health care could collapse.

Citing the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, he explained that without the diagnostic efforts of medical laboratories with regard to testing, the country would have failed in its quest to manage the disease. dr. Ofori-Boadu added that "we have to applaud the laboratories for what they do and more importantly for standing very tall in our COVID-19 response for the past two and half years."

The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital were adjudged the Best Research Laboratory Centre of the Year and the Best Public medical Laboratory entre of the year, respectively.

Other winners were Metropolis Healthcare Ghana Limited - Best Pathology Laboratory Centre of the Year, Ridge Medical Centre - Promising Laboratory Centre of the Year, and Euracare Ghana - Most Advanced Diagnostic Laboratory Centre of the Year.