Stakeholders in the Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) have urged President Bola Tinubu to halt the minister’s interference in the functions of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in conjunction with the Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology issued a letter that restricts the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) to regulating and setting standards for only the practice of Medical Laboratory Science, contrary to the provisions of Act 11(2003) that set up MLSCN as the Regulator of Medical Laboratory Science training, standards, and practice.
It also mandated the Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology (FCMLST) to provide diploma courses of instruction in Medical Laboratory Science, which they said would lead to the proliferation of substandard laboratories and unqualified officers.
The stakeholders insist that the directive jeopardises the quality of laboratory personnel training and the possibility of flooding the country with inadequately-trained laboratory scientists.
They maintained that it would lead to increasing misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment, increased mortality rates and a compromised healthcare system. The stakeholders also claim the development prioritises personal gains as the internship programme would allow non-professionals to obtain MLS licenses after nominal training as against the in-depth curriculum training ran in universities; undermining both the integrity and efficacy of the practice.
In their petition to President Bola Tinubu, the group urged the President to take decisive actions in addressing the current challenges facing the MLS profession including an immediate cease of the sale of the graduate internship programme entry forms as well as any actions undermining the MLSCN Act.
They called for the termination of the “illicit” tenure extension of Dr. Sunday Etukudoh, who has spent over 11 years as director and 17 years as Provost/Chief Executive Officer with about 46 years in civil service, which according to them, goes contrary to a memo from the Head of Service of the Federation directing all substantive directors who have spent over eight years in their post to retire.
One of the stakeholders, Adedamola Oyekunle, who wrote in support of the petition, noted that the MLSCN has made significant progress as a profession in Nigeria with the Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (BMLS) degree standardisation, adding that the integration of the associate and graduate internship programmes would only undermine the efforts and contributions already made by both past and present members of the Council.
Another stakeholder, Gift Uduje, pointed out that having multiple tiers of training within one profession is unacceptable and would only bring about regress and adverse consequences in terms of quality diagnostic care to the citizenry.