A CLARION CALL ON PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI (GCFR) TO ASSENT TO THE NATIONAL POSTGRADUATE COLLEGE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE (ESTABLISHMENT) BILL 2017
1. Medical Laboratory tests play an indispensable role in the early detection and accurate diagnosis of disease, monitoring of treatment, and disease surveillance and prevention.
2. An effective healthcare system depends on a robust diagnostic laboratory capacity and capability. Medical Laboratory Science as a profession is endowed with the mandate of applying the methods of scientific experimentation, observation and interpretation for preventive, surveillance, diagnostic, and therapeutic accuracy by the medical practitioner.
3. It was in pursuit of the above compelling need that in 1993 and 1998, the 43rd and 48th sessions of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa, adopted Resolution AFR/RC43/R7 and Resolution RCI48/008 respectively, which considered "the frequent occurrence in the African Region of epidemics such as cholera, Lassa fever, plague, yellow fever, malaria, cerebrospinal meningitis and etc, which brings untold suffering and loss of lives". These Resolutions declared:
"Laboratories are to play a key role in disease diagnosis and control activities by providing prompt and reliable confirmation of suspected cases".
It urged Member States to "develop well-staffed and properly equipped laboratory services".
4. Furthermore, the Maputo Declaration on Strengthening of Laboratory Systems in developing countries by the WHO, World Bank, Global Fund among other stakeholders, in January 2008 (i.e. ten years ago):
"Called on countries and all partners to urgently address the broader laboraigaAusian resources agenda for laboratory strengthening, including training, recruitment and retention of laborator workers and their adequate financing".
5. In 1996, Ministers of Health and Ministers of Interior from West Africa, Republic of Chad and Algeria, met in Ouagadougou, to consider ways and means of preventing future epidemics. Similarly, their counterparts from countries of the Great Lakes met in Kigali in 1997 to deliberate on the frequent epidemics of infectious diseases.
At the conclusion of these meetings, the Ministers:
"..acknowledged that the unduly long delay in identifying and confirming the causal agents of these epidemics retard the initiation of action likely to contain epidemics, resulting in catastrophic loss of lives".
This catastrophic loss of lives has remained the sad narrative in Nigeria to this day, ever since the declaration was made over two decades ago. The operation of the National Postgraduate College of Medical:Laboratory Science will change this narrative through training and development of specialist laboratory personnel with the required technical dexterity and knowledge to enhance prompt detection, prevention, diagnosis and control activities.
6. Good enough, the 8th National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has provided the statutory framework to strengthen medical laboratory diagnostic capacity for the enhancement of the healthcare delivery system in Nigeria by passing the National Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science (Establishment) Bill 2017; which will give impetus for the training and development of highly skilled medical laboratory personnel.
7. As evidence of its endorsement of the college, the West African Health Organization (WAHOII the health body of the ECOWAS, has approved the establishment of the West African Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science for training and eloping specialist medical laboratory erscirel in the 15-member countries of the West African sub-region and Cameroun, since disease does not recognise country borders, as was experienced during the Ebola Virus disease outbreak in 2014; and drawn up a curriculum for Fellowship training.
8. The Federal Ministry of Health also has given full support for the establishment of the West African Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science in the sub-region, as evidenced in the attached letter of the Honourable Minister of Health. (See the Insert)
9.AMLSN passionately appeals to the Honourable Minister of Health and indeed the Nigerian public to join in the clarion call for Mr. President's assent to the National Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science (Establishment) Bill 2017.
10. The objective of the College is, among others, to develop a professional hospital and industry-based hands-on Fellowship training curriculum for development of highly skilled specialist medical laboratory scientists in all the sub-specialities of medical laboratory science.
This will ensure prompt identification of epidemic-prone disease-causing agents within Nigeria by Nigerian scientists, stem the need for Nigerians to travel abroad for proper diagnosis and treatment of health challenges and conserve the nation's scarce foreign reserve. What's more, the college will save a large percentage of health-seeking Nigerians the cost of foreign medical trips.
11. Nigeria does not need to send clinical specimens abroad (to Dakar Senegal or elsewhere) and wait for weeks and months before confirmation of epidemic-prone disease agents are made. Given our size and population, Nigeria should be in the lead in putting in place the mechanisms to promptly prevent, detect, diagnose, treat and control diseases-be they communicable or non-communicable diseases. That is what the National Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science is meant to achieve.
CONCLUSION:
To crown it all, the existing Federal School of Medical Laboratory Science, Jos, which belong.; to the Federal Ministry of Health, will form the administrative nucleus and headquarters of the proposed National Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science. Government will not incur any new cost for infrastructural and personnel requirement for running the college. Already, existing Teaching and Specialist hospitals, Research Institutes and Industries would form the training centres for trainees, as it obtains in Europe, USA and other parts of the world.
NOW IS THE TIME TO EQUIP THE NIGERIAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM TO COMBAT THE EMERGING AND RE-EMERGING DISEASES CAUSING HARVOC IN OUR COUNTRY; THE BALL NOW IS IN MR. PRESIDENT'S COURT. WE ALL NEED TO LEND OUR VOICES TO THIS CALL.
Ifeanyichukwu Casmir Ifeanyi Cajetan, Ph.D
National Publicity Secretary
For: Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN)
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