Lagos State has stepped up efforts to improve healthcare delivery with the expansion of its laboratory quality improvement programme, targeting higher standards in diagnostic services across the state.
The initiative, supported by the Global Fund through the Resilient and Sustainable Systems for Health (RSSH) grant, will see 11 additional laboratories upgraded under a Quality Management System (QMS) scale-up, bringing the total number of participating facilities to 21.
The programme aims to enhance diagnostic accuracy, reliability, and turnaround time, with participating laboratories expected to attain at least a three-star rating under the World Health Organisation’s Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) by December 2026.
To commence the exercise, laboratory professionals from public and private health facilities underwent a five-day residential training in Lagos, focusing on quality systems, documentation, and process improvement.
Facilities selected for the programme include Recovery Medical Diagnostics, Bimade Diagnostic Services, Sango, Palm Avenue, Epe, Iba, Iga Idugaran and Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu primary health centres, as well as Orile-Agege, Ifako-Ijaiye and Alimosho general hospitals.
Laboratory focal persons from tuberculosis, HIV and malaria programmes also participated in the training to strengthen service integration.
Speaking at the opening, RSSH Team Lead, Dr Oluwatosin Ijimakinwa, commended the state government’s commitment to healthcare reform and urged participants to implement lessons from the training at facility level.
Coordinator of the Global Fund Grant Management Unit, Abiodun Omoloja, stressed the need for participants to execute action plans developed during the training to fast-track the institutionalisation of quality management systems.
RSSH Laboratory Focal Officer, Aliu Omoh, assured participants of continued technical support.
The training featured sessions led by laboratory experts, while Biomedical Science Day 2026 was also commemorated, highlighting the role of laboratory professionals in healthcare delivery.
Officials at the event included Director of Medical Laboratory Services, Lagos State Health Service Commission, Mrs Farri Adijat, representatives of the Primary Health Care Board, and other stakeholders.
The state government said the initiative underscores its commitment to strengthening laboratory systems as a key component of improved health outcomes.