Chris Mbunwe
7 March 2008
The Northwest Provincial Delegate of Public Health, Dr. Victor Ndiforchu, has cautioned laboratory technicians to keep their tongues in check concerning the HIV status of patients.
Dr. Ndiforchu was speaking during a three-day training workshop for Senior Laboratory Technicians on diagnosis of HIV recently."While we ensure that every pregnant woman is routinely tested of HIV/AIDS, you must, as spelt out in your health ethics respect confidentiality because the consequences can be dangerous and regrettable.
Laboratory results must be kept very confidential," said Dr. Ndiforchu. He said apart from patients or those who have been tested positive being stigmatised, the declaration of results is not the responsibility of any laboratory technician because the doctors and other counsellors are there to disclose the results to the patient in an acceptable manner.
Ndiforchu said pregnant women are tested routinely for HIV to prevent mother-to-child transmission and to place those who are positive on anti-retrovirals.He announced that HIV test for pregnant women is free and FCFA 500 for non-pregnant women as well as other interested persons.
The Public Health boss, while appealing to laboratory technicians to be assiduous and welcoming, called on them to improve on their level of education, work hard to earn promotion and not be negligent when conducting HIV/AIDS tests.
Representing the New York University of Medicine, USA, which sponsored the workshop, Dr. Philipe Nyambi said the University in collaboration with the Northwest Provincial Delegation of Public Health and Alpha Royal Clinic have made it a duty to empower all laboratory technicians because every illness is known only after a thorough laboratory test else. He said he comes to Cameroon at least twice a year for seminars.
"We are going to intensify training because this province remains the highest province hit y HIV/AIDS spread," Dr. Nyambi said.In her reaction, the Provincial Coordinator of PTG in the Northwest, Dr. Magdalene Mayer, stressed on modern counselling methods and concepts and techniques of counselling.
She presented the epidemiological situation of HIV/AIDS and its modes of transmission, risk factors involved and consequences as well as complications among others.The Chief Executive Officer and proprietor of Alpha Royal Clinic, Dr. Christopher Anyangwe, said the training of senior laboratory technicians give him the opportunity to improve on his own laboratory and for the hospital to stand a better chance of fighting the pandemic.
That apart, the fact that the majority of technicians are from public health establishments and for the organisers to involve the private sector ensures confidence and smooth relationship that flows between the two.
On behalf of the participants, Emmanuel Abang called on the Minister of Public Health to improve on the conditions of laboratory technicians and raise their status, because "we produce money from laboratory results and we live a beggarly life."
At the end of the seminar, participants recommended the purchase of more CD4 count machines and for nurses and technicians to be paid regular risk allowances.
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