Monrovia – The West African College of Physicians (WACP) has presented to its Liberia chapter a new set of chemistry analyzer for the conduct of tests on patients who may require it and also help in the training of medical students.
Report by Alpha Daffae Senkpeni,[email protected]
The total cost of the medical equipment is US$35,000, out of which US$29,000 was spent on the equipment and a regent cost of US$6,000.
The chemistry analyzer will help patients get improve quality diagnosis and sharpen the medical education component of the Liberia College of Physician & Surgeons (LCPS), the Liberian chapter of WACP.
The medical equipment will test for blood electrolytes and all routine blood tests, liver function and kidney function tests, blood gases, lipid assay and metabolic assay.
“We are so grateful and like to assure you that the equipment will be used according to specifications, will be well maintained to get many years of service from it and residents rotating through the JFK Medical Center will be well exposed tests possible with the analyzer,” a statement from the LCPS read.
Speaking at the turning over event held at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia, on Monday January 30, WACP President, Dr. Ifeoma Egbuonu expressed excitement over the work of LCPS and emphasized the importance of maintaining the equipment to serve the expected purposes.
Dr. Egbuonu thanked Dr. Francis Kateh, Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer, for showing interest in the occasion and asked Dr. Kateh to extend gratitude to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
The regional medical association has also arranged for a chemical pathologist from Nigeria to train lab technicians at the LCPS on how to use the equipment.
For his part, Dr. Kateh echoed the significance of finding creative means of maximizing the use of the equipment. He called on the administration of the LCPS to consider cost recovery in order to maximize the usage of the chemistry analyzer.
‘Getting new things is not the important, what is important, for me, is how do you maintain? The maintenance is very, very critical,” the Chief Medical officer said.
Speaking earlier, the General administrator of the JFK, Dr. Wannie-Mai Scott McDonald, thanked the college of physicians and surgeons for the medical equipment and assured that it will be used appropriately.
“We are glad that you could bring this in to add to what we trying to do here, so that we have more robust analysis and chemistry done for our patients,” Dr. Scott- McDonald said, adding that the hospital caters to approximately 800 patients daily, amongst them are mostly children.
The LCPS is Liberia’s main referral teaching hospital for interns, medical students, nurses and paramedical. Established in 2013 following an act of the legislature for the college to train Liberians competently manage medical and surgical complications.