Health experts have raised concerns over poor laboratory testing, inaccurate malaria diagnosis and the indiscriminate prescription of antimalarial drugs, warning that the practices are undermining Nigeria’s efforts to eliminate the disease.
The concerns emerged as the Global Fund supported the training of 464 laboratory personnel across nine states to improve malaria and tuberculosis diagnosis, strengthen disease surveillance and enhance the reliability of laboratory results.
The integrated capacity-building programme, implemented through the National Malaria Elimination Programme and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, was inaugurated at Mokland Hotel, Ibara, GRA, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Speaking at the event, a Consultant Medical Parasitologist at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Professor Wellington Oyibo, stressed that accurate laboratory diagnosis was essential to effective malaria treatment.
He said laboratory professionals needed adequate skills to identify different malaria parasite species and distinguish the infection from other illnesses with similar symptoms.
Oyibo maintained that microscopy remained an important diagnostic tool despite the increasing availability of rapid diagnostic tests and molecular technologies, emphasising the need for quality assurance, proper documentation and timely reporting of results.
He explained that the training would cover slide preparation, microscopy, parasite identification, quality management and diagnostic standards, including requirements under ISO 15189.
According to him, the programme was also designed to develop a pool of competent laboratory professionals who could transfer their knowledge and mentor other workers in their respective health facilities.
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Malaria Elimination Programme Manager, Mrs Olamide Adeyinka, identified patients’ refusal to accept negative malaria test results as a major factor contributing to inappropriate treatment and unreliable disease statistics.
She explained that some patients insisted they had malaria despite negative laboratory findings and subsequently pressured healthcare workers into prescribing antimalarial medications.
Adeyinka said the situation had contributed to consistently high malaria test positivity figures, particularly where proper investigations were not conducted or test results were disregarded.
She disclosed that trainees were selected from all 20 local government areas of Ogun State, covering primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities, including private and faith-based institutions.
Also speaking, the Assistant Director of Medical Laboratory Services in Ogun State, Dr Simon Ijiezie, warned that inaccurate diagnosis could expose patients without malaria to unnecessary medication and additional financial costs.
He called on the state government to provide functional laboratory equipment, particularly microscopes, to ensure that the training translates into improved diagnostic services.
Similarly, the Assistant Director of Medical Laboratory Services at the Ogun State Primary Health Care Board, Mr Atinsola Ayodeji Olalekan, said strengthening laboratory services at the primary healthcare level would reduce the pressure on secondary and tertiary hospitals.
On tuberculosis diagnosis, the State TB Quality Assurance Officer, Mr Ogundimu Olusola, representing the state TB Programme Manager, Dr Jimoh Babatunde, expressed concern that the growing adoption of molecular diagnostic technologies was gradually reducing laboratory workers’ interest in microscopy.
He, however, expressed optimism that the programme would produce 44 better-equipped and more confident laboratory personnel in Ogun State.
The Assistant Director of Medical Laboratory Services at the Ogun State Hospital Management Board, Adebola Oke, urged participants to share the knowledge acquired with colleagues to improve diagnostic practices across their facilities.
One of the participants, a Medical Laboratory Scientist, Mr Fashina Sunday Anthony, said the training had improved his ability to distinguish malaria parasites from other components of blood samples.
Another participant, Damilare Funmilola Yetunde, described the programme as an intensive learning experience that went beyond a conventional seminar.
The initiative is expected to strengthen laboratory capacity across the nine participating states, improve the accuracy of malaria and tuberculosis diagnosis and reduce inappropriate treatment through reliable, evidence-based test results.
