The Federal Government is pushing for coordinated, standardised, and harmonised diagnostic services across all levels of the healthcare system, notably primary, secondary, and tertiary.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, made the suggestion at a National Summit on Diagnostics held in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said the integration is crucial for enhancing efficiency, eliminating service duplication, and ensuring the optimal utilisation of resources. ‘Through this approach, we will be able to address longstanding challenges in diagnostic services, such as fragmentation, inadequate infrastructure, and limited access to high-quality services, particularly in underserved communities.’

He said the summit presents a unique opportunity to highlight the role of diagnostics in delivering an efficient, effective, resilient, and responsive health system. ‘It also helps to reaffirm our commitment to strengthening the role of diagnostics in achieving the health agenda of the government at all levels.

‘As we know, the healthcare value chain encompasses all components that contribute to the delivery of healthcare services, from prevention and diagnosis to treatment and rehabilitation.’

He made reference to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic experience and underscored the indispensable role of diagnosis in managing public health emergencies. ‘Leveraging the lessons learned from the experience provides us an opportunity to build a stronger diagnostic ecosystem that not only meets routine healthcare needs but also enhances national health security and pandemic preparedness.

‘A strong and well-coordinated diagnostic system is not only vital for clinical decision-making but also for disease surveillance, health data management, and ensuring timely interventions. The goal should be how to integrate diagnostic services into the broader healthcare value chain so as to enhance efficiency, improve patient outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs in the long run.’

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, in her remarks, said the theme of the summit, ‘Unlocking Healthcare Value Chains and Improving Universal Health Coverage through Integrated Diagnostic Services’, reflects a commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s health system.

‘We recognise the fact that diagnostics is a cornerstone of healthcare, enabling accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and improved health outcomes. This summit thus brings together stakeholders from across the healthcare spectrum, including policymakers, healthcare professionals, industry experts, and civil society organisations, to discuss the issue.

‘Diagnostics are fundamental to effective healthcare delivery, influencing over 70 per cent of medical decisions. Nevertheless, several challenges persist, including gaps in accessibility and limitations in technology and infrastructure. This summit affords a unique opportunity to evaluate our progress, identify obstacles, and formulate actionable strategies aimed at transforming the diagnostic landscape in Nigeria.’

A renowned virologist, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, in a presentation, noted that achieving diagnostic excellence in Nigeria is a continuous exercise, and the journey must interrogate what changes are relevant to the current practice culture and the traditional laboratory-centric quality management system approach.

‘It must always address the issue of data that are useful to collect, analyse, and share to systematically promote diagnostic excellence in the laboratory and patient care settings. This requires collaboration with patients, clinicians, laboratory staff, community, including transport officers, etc.,’ he said. (The Sun)