By Chinedu Adonu
The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) has raised concern over the recurring outbreaks of infectious diseases in the country, warning that Nigeria cannot build a resilient healthcare system without strengthening its diagnostic capacity.
Speaking at the association’s 19th Annual Public Health Lecture in Enugu, the National President of AMLSN, Dr. Casmir Ifeanyi, said recurrent disease outbreaks, rising antimicrobial resistance, increasing non-communicable diseases, environmental health threats and the migration of skilled health workers underscore the need for greater investment in medical laboratory services.
Delivering a lecture titled, “Smart Diagnostics: The Role of Medical Laboratory Scientists in National Security and Universal Health Coverage,” Ifeanyi described medical laboratories as strategic national assets essential for disease surveillance, outbreak preparedness, genomic intelligence, blood safety, environmental monitoring and evidence-based policymaking.
“Universal Health Coverage cannot be achieved without Universal Medical Laboratory Coverage. Before treatment, there must be testing. Before intervention, there must be evidence. Before policy, there must be data,” he said.
He lamented that millions of Nigerians, particularly in rural communities, still lack access to quality laboratory services, resulting in delayed diagnosis, inappropriate treatment and avoidable deaths.
“No nation can effectively manage what it cannot diagnose. Investment in medical laboratory diagnostics is not a cost but a strategic investment in human capital, economic productivity, national security and sustainable development,” he added.
The AMLSN president urged the Federal Government to develop a comprehensive National Medical Laboratory Diagnostics Strategy, strengthen laboratory networks, expand molecular diagnostics and genomic surveillance, promote local production of diagnostic reagents and support research and innovation.
He also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to assent to the bill establishing the Federal University of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology, Jos, describing it as a landmark initiative that would make Nigeria home to Africa’s first specialised federal university for medical laboratory science.
He reaffirmed the commitment of medical laboratory scientists to disease surveillance, biomedical research, antimicrobial resistance monitoring and outbreak response, describing them as the “silent guardians of the nation’s health.”
Chairman of the occasion and Provost of the Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology, Prof. Nkereuwem Etukudoh, said diagnostics should be recognised as a strategic national asset rather than a support service.
“There can be no health security without diagnostic security, and there can be no national security without laboratory intelligence,” he said, describing the proposed Federal University of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology as a major milestone for specialised education and research in Africa.
Also speaking, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), Dr. Donald Ofili, unveiled reforms aimed at strengthening regulation, transparency, institutional integrity and patient safety.
He warned tertiary institutions against unethical practices during accreditation exercises, including borrowing laboratory equipment and presenting temporary personnel as permanent staff, saying such actions undermine training standards and endanger patient safety.
Ofili also urged practitioners to uphold ethical standards, embrace continuous professional development and comply strictly with regulatory requirements, directing that all council payments be made only through approved channels to eliminate fraud.
The post AMLSN seeks stronger smart diagnostics to tackle recurring disease outbreaks appeared first on Vanguard News.