Medical Microbiology Department

History:

The Department of Microbiology University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital is one of the 4 pathology department of the hospital that was established to provide timely, reliable and affordable diagnostic support to the clinicians in the management of patients. The department also serves as a training center for undergraduate medical students, nursing students, pharmacy students as well as resident doctors and other student undergoing postgraduate training in any field of medicine.

Location:

First-floor left wing of Block B; the Laboratory Complex of the hospital, Opposite Department of Chemical Pathology.

Contact:

Head of Department: Dr. Awopeju A. Temitayo Phone number +2348033410038

Asst. Director, Medical Laboratory Services- in-charge: Mrs. Karibi-Botoye, Phone number +2348035007043

Units:

 The department has two major service delivery components; the laboratory and clinical units.

 Laboratory Units.
This is comprised of the following benches:

• Urine
• Enterics
• General Bacteriology
• Mycology
• Serology
• Mycobacteriology – the South-south Zonal Tuberculosis Reference Lab is housed in the department
• Center for Molecular Research and Training; previously referred to as NCDC Molecular Laboratory for the south-south region.

Clinical Units:
Clinicians in the department actively collaborate with other departments involved in the running of some specialized infectious disease clinics in the hospital like:

• HIV/ART clinic
• Dermatological clinic
• DOT clinic

The Infection prevention and control unit facilitates training on infection prevention practices among health care workers and also engage in active surveillance for multidrug-resistant organisms that can lead to an outbreak of infection in the hospital.

• They also attend clinical consults to co-manage patients with infectious diseases in any part of the hospital.

Staff Strength:
The member of staff of the department are all graduates of reputable universities and they remain one of the most motivated groups in the hospital. The clinical unit staff is made up of medically qualified consultants and residents doctors in medical microbiology. The technical arm is constituted by Medical laboratory scientists, Med lab Technicians, and assistants as well as cleaners who are well trained in the job. 

Departmental Facilities

Spacious and well ventilated five laboratory units tagged; Lab 1 to 3, sputum lab and residents’ lab. Media preparation and wash up room; Special Procedure Room referred to clinical consult room; Library and a moderately furnished seminar Room

TB laboratory is located at the back of the main building while the Center for molecular research and training overlooks the main building with a distance of about 300m separating them.

Procedure:

Samples received at the reception are assigned laboratory numbers and registered into the ledger. They are then sent to the bench unit for analysis, completed analysis results are documented before results are sent back to the reception to be kept in the outgoing result file room for patient collection. Duration of processes dependent on the examination requested. Most sample culture will require about 24 to 48 hours of incubation before the required growth can be observed and another 24 hours of further testing. Details of this will be found in our various SOPs

For more details on the scope of work see UPTH Service Charter.
For Protocol of service; see UPTH Service Charter.