From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) has secured additional support and backing to “bark and bite” particularly on erring professionals and uncertified practitioners.
Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Salako, provided the backing to MLSCN when he paid a familiarisation visit to the Council’s headquarter in Abuja.
He directed that the profession be thoroughly sanitised, ensuring the quacks and uncertified individuals are not found within or around the profession, for proper regulation and accountability.
He was impressed with the transformational activities of the council, and assured the council of maximum support in their professional engagements in a bid to strengthen the chains of healthcare delivering system.
He said: “There is no doubt that as a regulatory body in-charge of regulating the activities of laboratory professionals, technicians and others, you have the enabling law to regulate their practices.
“Therefore, if you are talking about not having qualified people being employed by medical facilities then I will throw it back to you that it is still your lapses because it is your responsibility to ensure that anybody that is not qualified does not practice in Nigeria.
“The law is behind you, and you should sanction practitioners who are quacks, and also employers who engage quacks. So, you just have to sit up and do your responsibility.”
He suggested digitalisation of their processes which, he believes, will help maintain up-to-date list of professionals nationwide and be able to track their activities:
“As clinicians, we know that often when the result of laboratory test diagnosis is out, it gives more direction and confidence by confirming that the diagnosis is going on in the right direction. It’s like shining a light on a dark spot.
“We have seen a lot of times where wrong diagnosis has led to lot of fatalities and disabilities, and sometimes loss of lives. So, you must continue to sanitize and prioritize what you do.”
Registrar, MLSCN, Prof. Tosan Erhabor, assured the minister that the organisation would more to ensure that health-seeking Nigerians enjoy standard medical laboratory services:
“The council has kickstarted an operation to rid the country of all manner of quackery in medical laboratory practice. There will be no space for quackery in Medical Laboratory Science profession in Nigeria.”