MISSION STATEMENT
Provision of accurate, precise and reproducable results of all medical samples (blood, stools, urine, and tissues) sent to the laboratory by all doctors from various hospitals and police for accurate diagnosis.
AIMS
- To develop the laboratory so that it could be compared to any other in the world.
- To train more medical laboratory assistants and scientific officers as well as pathologists to serve every district in the country.
- To establish mortuaries in every district head quarter town and other big towns in the country.
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
The Laboratory Services comprises of various Departments and Subdivisions such as
Histopathology and Morbid Anatomy: Mortuary Sciences (The study of Tissues and Organs).
Haematology and Blood Transfusion: (The study of blood diseases)
Medical Microbiology: (this consists of the study of Bacteriology,
Parasiteology and Mycology)
Chemical Pathology: (The study of body fluids such as blood and urine).
Immunology: (The study of Human defense Mechanism).
Serology: (The Study of Serom, Anti bodies, and Antigents).
Forensic Medicine is concerned with the study of suspicious cases and is used for Medico-legal purposes e.g. court cases.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
The main mortuary and laboratory situated within the premises of Connaught Hospital has been renovated.
A total of three standardized laboratories and mortuaries has been completed in the country. They are situated in Freetown, Bo and Kenema, with Connaught Hospital having the second best Mortuary in the Sub region.
Trainings were conducted for Laboratory Technicians from all over the Country.
The unit has sucessfully performed international cases of Medico-legal autopsies (an example of this is the UNAMSIL helicopter crash that took place in Freetown)
The unit was responsible for carrying out the post mortem examination and autopsy on the late Foday Sankoh and Samuel Bockarie locally without from external help.
The contributions of the unit has helped greatly in reducing the work load of the judiciary by court attendance, coroner inquest and state inquest.
The Department of Pathology, with the help of the Freetown City Council and the Police make sure that the public is free from viewing dead paupers in the street. They work in collaboration with these institutions to clear the dead bodies off the streets.
These bodies are sometimes used for case studies by students and are eventually buried by the City Council free of cost.
To ensure the high performance of staff, certain incentives and logistics have been put in place. This has resulted in the staff’s satisfaction with their jobs and a complete unity amongst them.
The Unit's head office is situated within the premises of the Connaught Hospital in Freetown.
