The University of Port Harcourt Teaching hospital in keeping with standard of excellence in health training, research and service delivery hosted the first approved Medical Laboratory Scientist Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program .
The conference organized by the Association of Female Medical Laboratory Scientist (AFMLSN) UPTH chapter in partnership with her Rivers state branch began with a sensitization rally and had her formal opening ceremony held on the 29th of July 2024, at the hospital’s auditorium.
AMLSN members with the support of UPTH management successfully hosted the maiden CPD program , with the theme “Cybersecurity Risk in the Health sector and the Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Medical Laboratory Data Management and Diagnostics” which assembled the academia and clinicians as regards laboratory sciences.
The event had the chief medical director UPTH, Prof. Henry A. Ugboma as the chief host, Rivers state commissioner for health Dr. Adaeze Odili-Oreh as the special guest of honour .
Welcoming the guest on behalf of the CMD was the Chairman Medical Advisory Committee, Prof. Datonye Alasia, who commended the organizing committee and congratulated AFMLSN for successfully hosting the maiden CPD course in the hospital. In a similar vein the chairperson AFMLSN UPTH chapter, Dr. Mrs Justina Wenan-Emmanuel said the objective of the body is to develop one another professionally in contributing to the society and support projects/ program in the hospital as well as health care delivery. She appealed to the River State Government through the honorable commissioner for health for a bus to enable the association carry out it’s health care outreaches, also for individual and groups support to partner for community services.
The chairman of the occasion Professor Teddy Charles Adias, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Otuoke Bayelsa state, represented by the deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Chris Oyema encouraged the healthcare industry to take cyber security as a priority and make the appropriate investments needed to protect its patients as cybersecurity will ensure patient safety. He further advice the association to focus on providing the healthcare system with useful and impactful resonation and tools that can help raise awareness and provide vital cybersecurity practices which drives behavioural change and move towards consistency in mitigating the most relevant cybersecurity threat to the sector.
The commissioner for health, Dr Adaeze Odili- Oreh in her goodwill message congratulated the AFMLSN UPTH chapter on the maiden edition of the CPD, she also noted that the Medical laboratory scientist is the health care professional that provide diagnostics services needed to detect and treat diseases
The keynote speaker Professor Udeme Owunari Georgewill on her recommendations for the theme in focus said cybersecurity risk in the health sector and the application of artificial intelligence in medical laboratory data management and diagnostics, will need the medical laboratory scientists to continue to update skills and knowledge to keep base with technological devices and also develop a strong understanding of digital tools. She concluded by saying artificial intelligence will not replace humans in the future but humans trained in using artificial intelligence and its application will.
Awards of excellence were presented to the Chief Medical Director , Prof Henry A. Ugboma , the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Odili- Oreh, Prof. Udeme Owunari Georgewill, other distinguished professionals, invited guest and outstanding members of the Association.
- Philomena Idoko & Helen Douglas
