Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service has presented the 2026 External Quality Assessment (EQA) Proficiency Testing performance notifications to succesful public and private blood banks across the State, marking a significant milestone in strengthening transfusion safety and laboratory standards in Lagos.

At the presentation ceremony held at the LSBTS Headquarters in Gbagada on Friday, April 17, 2026, signalling the successful conclusion of LSBTS Annual 2026 External Quality Assessment (EQA) / Proficiency Testing (PT) Programme, the Executive Secretary, LSBTS, Dr. Bodunrin Osikomaiya, disclosed that the 2026 exercise recorded notable improvements compared to the 2025 cycle. She attributed the progress to sustained training, regulatory enforcement, and sector-wide collaboration.

Dr. Osikomaiya explained that the EQA programme was introduced to address the absence of measurable indicators for assessing the competence of medical laboratory scientists and the operational quality of blood banks, noting that the initiative has now become a critical benchmark for performance evaluation in the State.

She stated that following gaps identified during the maiden 2025 exercise, the Service implemented targeted interventions including two hands-on practical trainings and three structured sessions, alongside continuous medical education, to strengthen technical capacity and clinical decision-making among practitioners.

According to her, “participation in the 2026 cycle was impressive, with over 170 facilities enrolled and a high submission rate recorded within stipulated timelines, reflecting improved compliance among both public and private sector operators.”

The Executive Secretary emphasized that the outcomes are encouraging, with 72 per cent of participating facilities scoring above the 80th percentile, a development she described as evidence that investments in training and supervision are yielding measurable improvements in service quality.

She, however, maintained that underperforming facilities would not be spared, stressing that such centres would undergo mandatory paid retraining and repeat assessments, while those failing to meet minimum standards risk closure until full compliance is achieved.

Dr. Osikomaiya further reaffirmed the State Government’s commitment to patient safety, warning that any facility operating below required benchmarks would not be allowed to function as a blood bank in 2026 without proper registration and demonstrated competence.

She also commended private blood bank operators for their openness to reform and dedication to quality improvement, while appreciating the support of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and the State Health leadership for funding the programme, which ensured that participating facilities bore no financial burden.

In his remarks, the Quality Manager of LSBTS, Mr. Taiwo Oloko, described the 2026 EQA exercise as highly successful, noting that participation levels were commendable and that all facilities that collected samples returned their results within the required timeframe.

Oloko explained that beyond technical accuracy, the assessment also evaluated appropriate reagent usage, clinical decision-making, and blood group selection in simulated scenarios, adding that performance across these domains was largely impressive.

He further highlighted that report documentation formed a critical part of the evaluation, stressing that proper patient identification, labeling, signatures, and complete reporting are essential components of safe laboratory practice, just as much as analytical accuracy.

A representative of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Blood Bank, speaking on behalf of recipients, attributed their improved performance to deliberate training and retraining efforts following a poor outing in the previous year, noting that teamwork and institutional support played key roles in their success.

Similarly, a Medical Laboratory Scientist from a private blood bank; Options Medical Diagnostics, Mrs. Olutope Mofikoya, described the EQA programme as a vital tool for continuous quality improvement, stating that lessons from previous assessments helped strengthen internal processes and align practices with global standards.

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