Posted on: Tue 04-08-2026

The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) has released a firm and detailed rejoinder addressing the memorandum submitted by the Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) to the National Council on Establishment (NCE). The rejoinder, issued on 28 July 2026 in Abuja, challenges several positions taken by NAMDA regarding career progression, professional recognition, and establishment matters affecting non physician healthcare professions.

According to the AMLSN, while every professional group has the right to make submissions to government, “that right does not extend to determining the career progression, nomenclature, entry qualifications, or professional advancement of other professions”.

AMLSN Rejects NAMDA’s Claims of Oversight Authority

The association criticized what it described as NAMDA’s assumption of regulatory authority over other professions. AMLSN questioned NAMDA’s posture, noting that the medical academic body is “neither an employer nor an establishment authority… merely an association advancing the interests of its members.”

The rejoinder further highlighted NAMDA’s repeated insistence on “relativity”, the idea that no profession should advance unless physicians advance first. AMLSN dismissed this as an outdated and legally baseless argument, stating that relativity “has no legal force… and is not a statutory instrument that grants one profession veto powers over the advancement of another.”

Concerns Over Attempts to Limit Other Health Professions

AMLSN expressed concern over what it described as NAMDA’s tendency to diminish the competencies of other regulated health professions. The rejoinder cited NAMDA’s attempt to reduce optometry to merely implementing ophthalmologists’ prescriptions, calling such claims “a misunderstanding or a deliberate disregard of the profession’s legal mandate.”

The association emphasized that Medical Laboratory Science is an autonomous profession governed by federal laws and regulatory bodies, and therefore its progression cannot be subjected to external professional preferences.

Healthcare Is Multidisciplinary, AMLSN Warns Against Professional Gatekeeping

In one of the strongest sections of the rejoinder, AMLSN reminded NAMDA that modern healthcare delivery is multidisciplinary, stating: “No profession owns the health sector. No profession possesses a monopoly of knowledge, competence, or relevance.”

The association argued that progress in one profession does not threaten another, adding that “a confident profession does not fear the growth of its colleagues.”

Call to the National Council on Establishment

AMLSN urged the NCE to evaluate all proposals strictly on merit, guided by statutory provisions, workforce realities, and international best practices. The association warned against establishment decisions driven by professional dominance or historical privilege.

The rejoinder concluded with a call for fairness and equity: “Progress for Medical Laboratory Scientists, Nurses, Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Optometrists… should not require the permission of any external association. The era of professional gatekeeping is over.”

The statement was signed by Dr. Casmir Ifeanyi, National President of AMLSN, and issued at AMLSN House, Abuja.

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