ADDRESS OF THE CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF VICE ADMIRAL AZ GAMBO GSS AM psc ensp(RSA) MTM MNIM MUSNI FCIS MIPM MISP FIIPS FCAI AT THE OCCASION OF THE PRESENTATION OF ACCREDITATION CERTIFICATES TO THE NIGERIAN NAVY BY THE MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE COUNCIL OF NIGERIA ON 15 JULY 2021
PROTOCOL
1. I am delighted to welcome the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria and his entourage to the Naval Headquarters, for the presentation of certificates of accreditation to the Nigerian Navy in respect of the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital Ojo and Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital Calabar Laboratories. These facilities were recently accredited by the Council. I am happy that this presentation which places a seal of quality on our laboratories at the reference hospitals is eventually taking place after the long postponement occasioned by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Attaining the International Standard Organisation (ISO) 15189 accreditation is yet another milestone in our quest to provide qualitative healthcare for our personnel and their families. For us in the Nigerian Navy, emplacing qualitative healthcare is imperative and this is for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Nigerian Navy requires a healthy workforce to effectively discharge its constitutional responsibilities – a requirement which cannot be over-emphasized. Though the ships and other equipment and facilities remain indispensable however without a healthy workforce, the ships cannot fight and the NN will not be able to protect our maritime assets and territorial integrity. Also, the provision of quality healthcare to personnel and their families constitute a key welfare responsibility of the NN as well as the cornerstone of NN’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to our host communities. The NN therefore places a high premium on the delivery of quality healthcare services.
3. In view of the importance of quality healthcare, the NN has committed enormous resources to the development and maintenance of its medical facilities. The most recent that has turned out as a national pride, is the recently commissioned ultra-modern Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital Calabar. Like other NN medical facilities, this facility is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and is open to personnel of the NN and their families, personnel of sister Services and other security agencies. More importantly, our facilities are also open to the general public who constitute the majority of its clients. We remain committed to this endeavour.
4. The NN fully appreciates that the provision of infrastructure and qualified manpower is extremely important but alone may not be adequate to assure qualitative healthcare delivery. The interaction between these factors and the application of the necessary standard operating procedures as well as continuous monitoring and evaluation are equally relevant if the desired objectives are to be realised. In addition to regular assessments and audits, quality assurance is further reaffirmed by accreditation. Thus, when the opportunity to pursue accreditation for our laboratories was presented, the NN embraced it because laboratory services are at the centre of accurate diagnosis of diseases. The laboratory provides the empirical data upon which clinical decisions are made which explains the increasing emphasis on laboratory results for diagnosis and management of patients. Thus, with the emphasis placed on laboratory results, then no effort should be spared in ensuring that the results are always accurate and reliable.
5. On this note, I wish to commend the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria for the good job you are doing in regulating the practice and improving the quality of laboratory services in Nigeria, especially for institutionalising your accreditation programme. The Naval Headquarters was constantly kept abreast of the progress of the accreditation process. From what I am told, the standard of the accreditation gives assurance that these NN laboratories have truly met the necessary requirements for quality and competence. I must not fail to state that the NN is committed to ensuring that all our hospitals’ laboratories are upgraded in infrastructure and manpower as obtainable in the reference hospitals. I am confident that we can rely on the continued support of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria to achieve this. I have no doubt that if your efforts are sustained, the medical laboratory profession and indeed Nigeria’s healthcare system in general would be better for it.
6. Let me at this point commend the laboratory departments of the reference hospitals who I will rightly refer to as the foot soldiers as far as this accreditation is concerned. I am aware of the hard work you had to put in to prepare the facilities for the accreditation. Now that you have achieved this feat, your next assignment is to ensure that you maintain the accreditation. As you may well know, it is easier to arrive at the top than to remain on top. To maintain the standards, you must avoid cutting corners because according to Peter Senge. I QUOTE ‘The easy way out leads back in’. UNQUOTE. I also commend the hospital management for providing an enabling environment and needed support for the laboratories to achieve this milestone. Needless to say, this is what is expected of you and you must continue in that stead.
7. To the Medical Directorate, I will commend your giant strides over these years not just for this accreditation but generally, for ensuring adequate medical cover for our operations and for ensuring the healthcare needs of personnel and their families are met. Having crossed this hurdle, I think your immediate next assignment is to ensure that the laboratories of the hospitals and medical centres also achieve accreditation. You can be rest assured of the support for this because my administration remains committed to a continuous transformation of our medical services for the benefit of the NN and the nation at large.
8. I will not forget the Defence Health Maintenance Limited, our Health Maintenance Organization. Thank you for facilitating the operation of the National Health Insurance Scheme in our Armed Forces. I want to specially commend the Ministry of Defence Health Implementation Programme and its partner, the United States Army Medical Research Directorate Africa – Nigeria. I am told that much of the capacity development leading to the accreditation of these laboratories and indeed other laboratories in the Armed Forces were provided by your programme. I will enjoin you to keep up the good work and not rest on your oars. On this note, I once again thank the Registrar, Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria and our partners for the support and look forward to even better collaboration with you in future. Thank you, God bless and Onward Together.
AZ GAMBO
Vice Admiral
July 2021 Chief of the Naval Staff