Medical Laboratory Scientists at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) have rejected claims by the Korle Bu Doctors Association (KODA) that more than half of laboratory results from the hospital’s central laboratory were inaccurate.
They have, therefore, demanded a retraction and an apology from the doctors over the remarks.
The scientists also opposed calls by KODA for a laboratory physician to head the Central Laboratory Sub Budgetary Management Committee (BMC), insisting that such a move would undermine professional autonomy and disrupt the established structure for managing laboratory services.
It has given KODA up to Friday, May 8, 2026, to withdraw the claims and apologise, adding “failure to do so will lead to further action by leadership”.
Leadership role
At a press conference held by laboratory scientists at the KBTH on May 4, 2026, Secretary of the Korle Bu Chapter of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists, Dr Abdul Hakam Abubakar, said management of the central laboratory must remain in the hands of trained laboratory professionals.
He explained that the role required specialised scientific training in areas such as ISO 15189 standards — an international standard that specifies quality management and technical competence requirements for medical laboratories to ensure reliable, accurate and patient-focused results, biosafety, diagnostic techniques and quality assurance systems.
“The attempt to transfer leadership outside the profession violates the principles of professional autonomy and disregards the specialised competencies required to run a modern medical laboratory,” Dr Abubakar said.
He added that the Medical and Dental Council does not regulate the education, licensing or professional conduct of medical laboratory scientists and, therefore, could not assume oversight of the profession through such a move.
“Handing over leadership to a body that does not govern our profession undermines our statutory standing and weakens the independence of laboratory practice,” Dr Abubakar said.
Recall
The group recalled that similar disagreements over laboratory leadership emerged in 2018 and 2024, leading to industrial actions and interventions by the National Labour Commission and the Ministry of Health.
It said the same flawed approach was being introduced in defiance of prior resolution efforts.
It added that the KBTH had highly qualified laboratory scientists with advanced training and experience in laboratory leadership, and excluding them from heading their own profession was not only discriminatory, but demoralising and counterproductive.
Accreditation
On the quality of laboratory results, the scientists said the central laboratory had international accreditation.
The facility, Dr Abubakar said, was accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation in line with International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO 15189) standards.
“The assertion by Dr Asare Offei, Chairman of the Korle Bu Doctors Association, that the majority of laboratory results are compromised and unreliable is false and disparaging, and must be treated with all the disdain it deserves,” Dr Abubakari said.
Allied health protest
In a letter dated May 5, 2026, the Ghana Federation of Allied Health Professions (GFAHP), Korle Bu Chapter, formally protested the revocation of the appointment of the Head of Laboratory Services.
The letter, signed by the Secretary, Michael Nyamadi, and the acting Chairman, Edward Ayem, and addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of KBTH, described the decision as a violation of earlier agreements reached at a Ministry of Health meeting on February 3, 2026.
In a related development, the Medical Laboratory Professional Workers’ Union (MELPWU) has served notice of a nationwide strike over the same issue.
In a letter dated May 5, 2026, and signed by its General Secretary, Dr Cephas Kofi Akortor, the union announced plans to embark on industrial action from Tuesday, May 12, 2026, if the matter remained unresolved.
The union described the removal of the laboratory head as unilateral and unlawful.
