From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) has threatened to take unfriendly actions against medical laboratory operators who fail to participate in the ongoing re-assessment and revalidation exercise in the opened window.
MLSCN Registrar, Prof. Tosan Erhabor, in a statement, on Tuesday, explained that the ongoing re-assessment and revalidation exercise was a routine exercise by the Council to ascertain the state of the laboratory facilities and its operators in order to maintain maximum standard.
He reiterated that the re-assessment exercise was neither intended to witch-hunt any facility nor stakeholder, but to improve the quality of medical laboratory test results emerging from the facilities.
He warned that facilities that refused to comply by completing the online form and other requirements at the end of the provided window would be regarded as non-existent or illegitimate.
He said: “Time has come for stakeholders to work together to transform the health laboratory system for the good of all citizens. This is a noble and patriotic endeavor devoid of all partisan consideration.
“If medical laboratory practitioners and proprietors could join hands with MLSCN on this project, then we’re already halfway to success, and the narrative of poor laboratory diagnosis would be a thing of the past”.
“It’s important that medical laboratory practitioners and proprietors across the country should key into the recent ministerial directive to commence the process of re-registering and upgrading their facilities for safety and improved performance.”
Prof. Erhabor said the recent inauguration of the Technical Team on Medical Laboratory Regulation and Inspection against Quackery by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, was an indication to the commitment of the government to the course.
He described the ministerial intervention as a turning point in the efforts of MLSCN to bequeath a culture of accurate and reliable medical laboratory diagnosis on Nigerians.
He further urged medical laboratory practitioners/ proprietors to be more patriotic and support MLSCN’s efforts, as the country can no longer watch while its meager foreign exchange earnings go to other countries due to medical tourism.