Department of Histopathology

 

DEPARTMENT OF HISTOPATHOLOGY

NHA/CD/QOCP/HP/001

 

DR FRIDAY OLAH

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT

 

1.0   INTRODUCTION

The Department of Histopathology at the National Hospital Abuja started out in 1999 as one of the four units of the then Pathology Department. To enhance provision of quality histopathology and mortuary services to clients particularly in Abuja and across Nigeria, Histopathology Department was created in 2002.The Department has full residency training accreditation for both the West African College of Physicians (WACP) and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN). The department is also involved in training of residents from other clinical departments of NHA as well as other hospitals, house officers, intern medical laboratory scientists, corps members, morticians and students on industrial attachment. The department serves as a reference centre providing full width histopathology and mortuary services for other hospitals.

1.1    VISION, MISSION, CORE VALUES AND ACTIVITIES

1.1.1           Vision Statement

As a recognized physician-led pathology practice, we are unrelenting in our pursuit of innovation to provide exceptional customer service, high reliability and quality diagnostic testing which make us the lead choice in academic pathology training and laboratory medicine for patients, physicians and healthcare facilities in the entire North Central Nigeria and beyond.

1.1.2 Mission Statement

The three coequal missions of the NHA Department of Histopathology are to

• provide outstanding, broad anatomic pathology and laboratory medicine services;
• impart clinical laboratory, anatomic and medical science concepts and mechanisms of disease to a wide variety of learners; and
• Advance the knowledge and practice of anatomic pathology and laboratory medicine, through innovative research spanning from basic to translational to clinical. 

2.0    QUALITY ASSURANCE POLICY

The Department of Histopathology, National Hospital, Abuja in line with the mission and vision of the hospital is committed to the delivery of effective and efficient high quality Histopathology laboratory and mortuary services to our clients without compromise. We are committed to total customer satisfaction and compliance with ISO 15189 and other regulatory bodies to achieving our objectives.

2.1    QUALITY ASSURANCE / KEY INDICATORS

• Turn-around time has been shortened from 2 weeks to 5days
• Immunohistochemistry and special studies from 4 weeks shortened from 4weeeks to 1 week
• Prompt review of slides(all slides go out the same day)
• Prompt reporting of autopsy procedures: Preliminary report and death certificate within 24hours, final reports in two weeks)
• Tumour Board Meetings with improvement in quality of patient care
• External quality assurance with assistance scheme (UKNEQAS)
• Training and retraining of our staff and regular servicing of all our equipment as required
• Reviewing our standard operating procedures (SOPs)
• Adequate record keeping regular calibration and re-calibration of our equipment
• Ensuring work place safety
• Frequent client feedbacks by customer satisfaction survey

 

3.0    SPECIAL STRENGTH

For those interested in a professional career, NHA’s Department of Pathology offers a unique opportunity. The Department’s current focus are in the general areas of breast, prostate, cervical and colorectal pathology and pioneering immunohistochemistry. Our laboratories have equipment and the facilities necessary to carry out research in modern cell and molecular biology, including image analysis, intraoperative consultation and immunocytochemistry. We also have the additional potential for tissue banking and tissue culture services.

Academically, the National Hospital Abuja Department of Pathology has a leadership role in a variety of areas. In addition to our outstanding residency training programme, the department hosts an international immunohistochemistry workshop to train scientific investigators and a mortuary training programme to train mortuary staff and pathologists’ assistants (laboratory technologists). Our commitment to these programmes and their success is a testament to the quality and dedication of faculty as teachers and scholars.

These endeavours are enhanced by a robust mortuary service which includes high quality preservation and storage of human remains in a 74-chamber unit, highly skilled museum technicians and health technologists. Our forensic ability has been recently enhanced by our newly acquired X-ray machine domiciled at the mortuary which makes it easy for us to detect minute fractures and radio-opaque materials on bodies before autopsy.

Apart from the fact that our routine immuno-diagnostic service boasts of the widest range of panels for tumour diagnosis, prognosis and therapy decisions in Nigeria, we are committed to continue training staff from other centres for immunohistochemistry. Our museum pots are found on the shelves of many teaching health facilities across Northern Nigeria.

         

3.1    SCOPE OF SERVICES

1. Surgical pathology
2. Routine H&E
3. Special stain includes but not limited to Reticulin stains, Periodic Acid Schiff, Ziehl Neelsen, Perl’s Prussian blue, Congo red, Mallory phosphotungstic acid haemotoxylin, etc.
4. Immunohistochemistry
5. Second opinion
6. Intraoperative/Clinical consultation
7. Multidisciplinary team sessions
8. Cytology services
9. Cervical (Papanicolau) screening
10. Non-gynaecological cytology (ascetic, pleural, urine, cerebrospinal fluids, etc.)
11. FNAC clinic
12. 3. Radiodiagnostic consultations
13. Post mortem examinations
14. Hospital
15. Medicolegal
16. Postmortem radiography
17. Other mortuary services
18. Body reconstruction and cosmetics
19. Production of Museum/Anatomical pots
20. Research work
21. Peer review session for pathologists in and around Abuja
22. Internship – for the medical laboratory technologists and National youth corps members and students in the department.
23. Workshops/Seminars/Training
24. Mortuary Training Course
25. Immunohistochemistry/surgical pathology workshops held annually
26. Biennial cytopathology workshops

4.0    OPERATIONAL POLICY

OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES

Hours of Operation; the mortuary services run on a 24-hour basis everyday regardless of public holidays & weekends.

The laboratory services are open from 8:00am to 6:00pm on weekdays

Call hours – 4:00pm-6:00pm Monday to Friday and 10:00 to 2:00pm on weekends and public holidays.

Diagnostic/Laboratory

• The laboratory receives samples from both internal patients and external (walk-in) clients.
• All laboratory requests are preferably made on a properly filled, National Hospital Histopathology request form.
• Only specimens which meet the departmental guidelines will be accepted and processed.
• Samples are grossed and processed within 3 days, having undergone required quality checks.
• Reports are done in authorized format using our information system and signed out by a consultant pathologist or his/her designee.
• Reports can be assessed at the dispatch point in line with laid down guidelines.
• Turnaround time are three to five working days for routine histopathology samples and seven working days for IHC.

Intraoperative/Clinicopathological Consultations

• The laboratory receives requests for this service from only clinicians at National Hospital Abuja.
• All laboratory requests are preferably made on a properly filled, National Hospital Histopathology request form and received by the pathologist, at least 24 hours before the procedure.
• Samples are processed, reviewed and reported by phone call within 20minutes of receipt of sample.
• Final written reports are done after review of the frozen sections with the routine histology slides.

Mortuary Services

• The mortuary receives bodies from within and outside the hospital.
• All requests for embalmment, storage and autopsy are preferably accompanied with
  • a death certificate,
  • notification of death
  • a cover from outside health facilities
  • a coroners order in case of the police.
• Only requests which meet the departmental guidelines will be accepted and processed.
• Bodies are embalmed no later than 48 hours of receipt upon receipt of embalmment consent or a coroners order.
• Note: The depositor should please indicate clearly if they have any objections to embalmment by filling the embalmment waiver form.
• Body viewing is allowed, in accordance with laid down guidelines.
• Bodies are released only according to laid down guidelines and upon payment of all due fees.

5.0    WEEKLY ACTIVITIES AND SCHEDULES

 

5.1    HISTOPATHOLOGY RESIDENT DOCTORS’ WEEKLY SCHEDULE

5.2    LABORATORY WEEKLY SCHEDULE

• The laboratory services are on from 8:00am to 6:00pm daily.
• The mortuary services runs 24 hours every day of the week.

 

 

6.0    THE DEPARTMENTAL ORGANOGRAM

 

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

 

 

 

 The Department of Histopathology consists of health professionals in Laboratory Medicine, Medical Laboratory Science and other related science specialties. It is headed by a Consultant Pathologist who is a medical doctor with fellowship qualification(s) of either the WACP, NPMCN or the equivalent.

The head of Department of Histopathology at the National Hospital Abuja is supported by two full time consultants, one visiting consultant, one principal medical officer, five residents (including three on supernumerary appointment or posting), laboratory and mortuary staff and over twenty support and administrative staff. The departmental has six management committees chaired by the most senior staff in that committee. The departmental management committee, which is headed by the HOD, is responsible for developing policies which may be collated and sent up to the hospital management for approval.

 

7.0    HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

The Department of Histopathology is committed to supporting the implementation of the National policy on injection safety and healthcare waste management with, inter alia, the following

• To provide guidelines for the injection and other healthcare waste management practices to all laboratory and mortuary sections.
• To establish and ensure that proper injection and other healthcare waste management practices are observed at all sections of the laboratory and in the community.
• To ensure proper waste segregation and disposal.

7.1    Responsibility:

1. All laboratory and mortuary staff
2. Environmental management unit of the hospital
3. All visitors and clients of the department

7.2    Purpose:

This Safety Policy is to guide all staff in pursuing their responsibility to safeguard the health and well-being of everyone, staff, client and environment.

7.3    Key Elements:

1. Establish and maintain adequate procedures, work practices and maintenance of buildings and equipment to ensure a safe working environment which covers many safety issues as follows:
2. General safety
3. Injection safety
4. Chemical safety
5. Specimen hazard control
6. Hazard control measures
7. Preventive measures
8. Waste segregation
9. Orient and train all staff in safe work practices and procedures in compliance with established rules and regulations and safety manual.
10. The departmental management committee provides support and demonstrates action specific to the following:
11. Resources: Advocate for sufficient resources to provide and maintain safe and healthy working conditions
12. Training: Coordinate training in health and safety as well as first aid/fire drills
13. Data collection: collecting and analyzing data on accidents, sickness and injury
14. Develop safety awareness campaigns

 

8.0    MINIMUM STANDARDS POLICY

The department would maintain a framework through which all staff are accountable for continuously improving the quality of our services and safeguarding high standards of care, by creating an environment in which excellence in pathology practice will flourish.

 

9.0    LIST OF ALL STAFF

NATIONAL HOSPITAL ABUJA HISTOPATHOLOGY DEPARTMENT LIST OF ALL STAFF
Names	Qualifications	Designation/Remarks
Consultants
Prof. Edmund Nwana	FMCPath, FWACP	Visiting Consultant
Dr Paul Jibrin	FMCPath	Chief Consultant
Dr. Mohammed Said Amin	FMCPath, PhD (Pathology), Dip. Forensic Pathology, FIACytopath.	Chief Consultant
Dr Friday Olah	FMCPath, MWACP	Consultant/Head of Department
Resident Doctors
Dr Henry A. Ewunonu	MBBS	Principal Medical Officer
Dr Tolulope Benye	MBBS	Senior Registrar(supernumerary from FMC Abuja)
Dr Nicholas Kwapmi	MBBS	Senior Registrar(supernumerary from FMC Jalingo)
Dr Huraira Dahir	MBBS,	Junior Registrar
Dr Chioma Ofunne	MBBS	Junior Registrar
Dr Chigozie Chikezie	MBBS	Junior Registrar (supernumerary from FMC Owerri)
Medical Laboratory Scientists
*Sunday Igwe	AIMLS, CT(IAC), MSc	Deputy Director Medical Laboratory Services
Jonathan Madukwe	AIMLS, CT(IAC), MPH, MSc, PhD	Assistant Director Medical Laboratory Services
Grace Samuel	BMLS	Assistant Chief Medical Laboratory Scientist
Lynda Ugwu	BMLS	Principal Medical Laboratory Scientist
Chidinma Ono-Cosmas	BMLS	Principal Medical Laboratory Scientist
Laboratory Technicians/ Assistants
Tope Folarin	MLT	Assistant Chief Medical Laboratory Technician
Mercy K. Atajan	MLT	Medical Laboratory Technician
Ibrahim Tanimu	MLT	Medical Laboratory Technician
Fitka G. Joseph	MLA	Medical Laboratory Assistant
Augustine Osaji	SSCE	Mortuary attendant
Jerry C. Osagu	Dip public administration	Mortuary attendant
Anulidi Ezuoke	SSCE	Health Assistant
Abubakar Ndama	SSCE	Higher Health Assistant
Morticians
Casco Mwarap	CMLT	Assistant Chief Mortician
Bassey Ironbar	SSCE	Chief Health Assistant
Aaron Dadiyen	NCE	Health Assistant
Felix Dapiyan	SSCE	Health Assistant
Haruna Mohammed	NCE	Health Assistant
Apollos Daniel	NCE	Mortuary Attendant
Adama Mohammed	SSCE	Health Assistant
Emmanuel Audu	SSCE	Mortuary Attendant
Lawal Mohammed	SSCE	Mortuary Attendant
John Ibrahim	HND	Mortuary Attendant
Gambo Sule	SSCE	Principal Health Assistance
Gazali Usman	SSCE	Principal Health Assistance
Isaac Ugwu	SSCE	Mortuary Assistance
Secretariat
Lawal Garba	OND	Confidential Secretary I
Scientific/Store/Inventory/Maintenance
Tope Folarin	MLT	Assistant Chief Medical Laboratory Technician

 

9.1    OFFICIAL CONTACT NUMBER

Departmental number: 07067165091, 0700HISTOPATH

Intercom: 2986 (Lab Reception), 2850 (Mortuary Reception)

Contact email: hod.histopathology@nationalhospital.gov.ng