FG advocates ways to end quackery among medical laboratory scientists
Agency Report
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Dr Iziaq Salako, has called for the tracking and monitoring of medical laboratory practices to curb quackery in the country.
Salako said this in Abuja during his familiarisation tour of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria.
He applauded the council on its efforts to ensure quality laboratory services in the country and advised it to also ensure strict adherence to its regulatory and ethical practices.
Salako said that President Bola Tinubu had reinstated funding for health sector regulatory bodies, reversing the previous defunding policy.
According to him, regulatory agencies must now justify the trust placed in them by demonstrating their capacity to rejuvenate the sector.
He said defunding could occur at any time or be limited to grants, adding that regulators must be prepared to become self-sustaining,.
The minister promised that he would set up a committee to go around the regulatory bodies.
According to him, the committee is to look at the self-sustaining capacity of regulatory bodies, and the gaps to be filled to make them self-sustaining.
“So when it happens, people will not be caught on unawares,” the minister said.
He advised the council to explore revenue generation strategies, such as leveraging its resources and manpower to fund operations and reduce reliance on government allocations.
“The council must ensure its duty to enforce strict compliance with licensing standards because achieving 100 per cent certification of professionals is non-negotiable for the sector’s growth,” he said.
He explained that medical laboratories were essential in providing diagnostic services that informed accurate treatment decisions and reduce misdiagnoses, which could lead to unnecessary deaths and disabilities.
” The council has the legal authority to penalise both quack practitioners and employers who engage unlicensed personnel.
” Medical laboratories are the backbone of clinical practice,” he said.
Salako commended the council for digitisng its operations and for encouraging further technological advancements to improve efficiency and record-keeping.
He stressed the importance of fully digitising the tracking of licensed professionals and identifying those who failed to renew their licenses annually.
In his welcome address the Registrar of the council, Prof. Tosan Erhabor while noting that MLSCN was at the forefront of addressing emerging infectious diseases, promised to ensure an end to quackery in the nation’s health sector.
Erhabor said that a strong and well supported medical laboratory science profession was essential for achieving Universal Health Coverage, improved health sector and well-being of all Nigerians.
He highlighted the council’s efforts to uphold high standards in the education, training, and ethical conduct of laboratory professionals.
Erhabor brought to the fore recent successes recorded to include the international accreditation of three key facilities in the country.
This, he said, included: In-Vitro Diagnostics Laboratory, the National Quality Assurance Laboratory in Zaria, and the National Laboratory Equipment Calibration Center.
He said the facilities were already marking a significant milestone in ensuring that it met international standards.(https://newsatlarge.ng)
