By: Manoah Kikekon
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| Dr. Chijoke Onyia |
Pinecrest Healthcare Limited has urged the Federal Government, state authorities, and key stakeholders within Nigeria's healthcare sector to declare an immediate state of emergency regarding medical laboratory quality assurance.
The firm emphasizes that dependable diagnostic outcomes are essential for safeguarding patient health and ensuring effective treatment delivery nationwide.
This urgent call was made by the Managing Director of Pinecrest Healthcare Limited, Dr. Chijoke Onyia, during a virtual media briefing. The briefing preceded the company's inaugural quality assurance summit, themed “From Bench to Benchmark – Raising Laboratory Quality Standards for Patient Care,” which is set to hold in Lagos on October 10, 2026.
According to Dr. Onyia, embedding quality assurance deeply into everyday laboratory practice must extend far beyond mere regulatory compliance.
He highlighted that diagnostic investigations form the backbone of modern medicine, directly driving accurate diagnoses, precise treatment decisions, continuous disease monitoring, and the evaluation of patient recovery outcomes.
Warning against the severe health implications of flawed or inaccurate medical test results, Onyia stressed the necessity of maintaining stringent standards across the entire testing continuum. This comprehensive lifecycle includes.
Test requests and proper patient preparation. Seamless sample collection and secure transportation. Laboratory analysis and rigorous result validation. Accurate clinical interpretation
Dr. Onyia explained that the forthcoming summit will serve as a vital collaborative platform for healthcare practitioners and industry leaders. The event aims to evaluate current quality assurance practices, pinpoint existing industry gaps, and formulate practical strategies to boost diagnostic reliability and patient safety.
Furthermore, he noted that modern laboratories must transition from merely processing tests to building integrated systems where quality is continuously tracked, measured, and elevated. The ultimate goal, he emphasized, goes beyond achieving technically acceptable numbers to delivering fundamentally improved patient outcomes.
The high-profile virtual and physical gathering will spotlight critical industry topics, including, Advanced quality assurance frameworks in contemporary laboratory science. People, processes, and technology as fundamental drivers of diagnostic excellence. Cultivating a mindset where quality is practiced as a culture rather than treated as a routine compliance checklist.