COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENTISTS OF NIGERIA (AMLSN) AT THE END OF HER 49TH ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE/ WORKSHOP, KATSINA 2013 HELD BETWEEN 2ND - 6TH SEPTEMBER, 2013 AT THE IBRAHIM SHEMA CONFERENCE HALL, KATSINA, KATSINA STATE.

Preamble: The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) held her 49th Annual Scientific Conference/Workshop, Katsina 2013 with the theme “Modernizing the Medical Laboratory Science Profession to meet the 21st Century Challenges”

We thank His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Katsina State, Bar. Ibrahim Shehu Shema CON, FNIN his immense support to us and for declaring the Conference open on Tuesday 3rd September, 2013. Prof. A. O. Emeribe gave the keynote address: “Modernizing the Medical Laboratory Science Profession to meet the 21st Century Challenges”. HRH Alhaji (Dr) Abdulmumini Kabir Usman(CFR), Emir of Katsina, HRH Alhaji Umar Faruk Umar, Emir of Daura, sent their goodwill messages at the Opening Ceremony. Hon. Justice Musa Danladi, Katsina presided over the Opening Ceremony.

 

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF CONFERENCE WERE:

1. To share scientific skills and information from intensive research work in the fields of Medical Laboratory Science and healthcare delivery system.

2. To discuss national issues that have direct and tangential relevance to the Profession of Medical Laboratory Science.

3. To examine key issues in the Nation’s Healthcare System, Universities and Research Institutes that adversely affect efficient and effective Medical Laboratory Services.

4. To proffer practical and actionable proposals for repositioning education and training strategies to equip practitioners for enhanced healthcare delivery system in Nigeria. 

 

OBSERVATIONS:

Conference deliberated on the theme and sub-themes of the conference and other contemporary issues affecting the quality of healthcare delivery in general and Medical laboratory services in particular. The following observations/recommendations were reached. 

1. Conference expressed deep concern on the security challenges in the country and its adverse effect on the economy of the nation and by extension the well being of the citizenry. 

Conference appreciated and acknowledged the effort of Federal Government, State Governments and Security Agencies and their roles in controlling the spate of insecurity in the Country. Conference however implored government and security agencies to do more in this regard. Conference called on the Boko Haram Group to embrace dialogue for lasting peace in the interest of our dear country. 

2. Conference noted with concern the continuous decline and deterioration of the Nigerian healthcare delivery system which is fuelling our deplorable health indices. Conference noted that this deplorable state of our healthcare services is due to mismanagement of our healthcare institutions and unhealthy inter-professional rivalry that has bedevilled the healthcare sector since the administration of these institutions was taken over from professional healthcare administrators who were the chief executives of these institutions in the 1960s, 70s and early 80s when our health institutions were rated among the best in the world. 

Conference therefore recommended that government should revert to the international best practice of having professional health service administrators as chief executive officers of our health institutions to enable core health professionals concentrate on rendering services to patients.

3. Conference commended the House of Representatives for their patriotic Resolution to mandate the House Committee on Health to liaise with the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) to sanitize medical laboratory practice in Nigeria. Conference further commended the House Committee on Health for the bold and timely intervention in addressing the issues causing disharmony in the health sector. Conference appealed to the Committee to promptly initiate the process of amending the University Teaching Hospitals Board Reconstitution law to ensure equitable representation of health professional stakeholders as a way to permanently eliminate the administrative high-handedness and tyranny in the health sector.

4. Conference commended Mr. President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR on the decision of the Federal Executive Council to set up a Committee of Experts to take a second look at the Hon. Justice Abdullahi Gusau Committee Report on harmony among professionals and workers in the health sector. This underscores the firm resolve and commitment of Mr. President to solve the perennial problem of arbitrariness, lop-sidedness and injustice in the health sector. 

5. Conference commended members for their total compliance with the recently suspended Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) industrial strike action and the effort of all the key stakeholders such as Hon. Minister of Health, Hon. Minister of Labour and Productivity, Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Nigerian Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, members of the press and other well-meaning Nigerians on the laudable roles they played towards the resolution of the dispute. Conference further called for full and timely implementation of the signed agreement.

6. Conference noted the non-implementation and enforcement of Statutory Schemes of Service, regulatory Laws and Circulars in the health sector particularly those of Medical Laboratory Scientists as the bane of our nation’s health sector.

Conference therefore recommended that Chief Executive Officers of Hospitals, Ministries and Health Institutions should without further delay implement fully the statutory schemes of Service, professional regulatory Laws and Circulars in respect of other Professions for enhanced output and cohesion in our nation’s health Sector.

7. Conference noted that non-functional/obsolete/substandard/abandoned medical laboratory equipment littering the nation’s Health Institutions does not add value to the quality of Laboratory Services. Medical Laboratory Scientists who use these equipment should be fully involved in their procurement in line with the statutory Scheme of Service for medical laboratory scientists.

8. Conference noted with dismay the continuous employment of persons not qualified or licensed by Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) to practice Medical Laboratory Science by Federal health institutions, State institutions, Local Governments, FBOs and NGOs. This unethical and illegal act leads to the so-called “dubious medical laboratory results” some alarmists often talk about to discredit medical laboratory scientists. This is clearly against the law which states:

Subject to the provision of section 18(2) of the MLSCN Act: “No person not being a fully registered medical laboratory scientist under the provision of this act shall be entitled to hold any appointment in the public service of the Federation or State or any public or private establishment, body or Institution, if the holding of such appointment involves the performance by him in Nigeria of any act pertaining to the profession of medical laboratory sciences for gain” Further more Section 22(2) states: “A person who is not a member of the profession shall not practice the profession or, in expectation of reward, take or use any name, title, addition or description implying that he is in practice as a member of the profession.” 

Conference called on the Federal and State Ministries of Health, Management of all Hospitals and Primary Health Care Centres, Health related NGOs and FBOs to respect the provisions of the law and stop the imposition of non-Medical Laboratory Scientists to either administer or perform any kind of Medical Laboratory activity. Conference called for the employment of Medical Laboratory Scientists in all the Primary Health Care centres across the Federation for effective and efficient health care delivery at the grass root.

9. Conference noted that the establishment of proficiency testing panels for quality assurance in medical laboratory testing in all the different fields of Medical Laboratory Science needs urgent attention.

Conference therefore called on the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria to ensure this is done soonest. 

10. Capacity building (training and re-training) for Medical Laboratory Scientists is currently inadequate. Conference noted with applause the recent inauguration of the Steering Board and Operational Framework of the West African Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science (WAPCMLS) as a step in the right direction. It therefore called on the ECOWAS and the West African Health Organization (WAHO) to give the College all the necessary technical and logistic support for the fulfilment of its objective of developing the corps of experts and specialist medical laboratory scientists to strengthen the healthcare delivery system in the region. In a similar vein, Conference commended the House of Representatives for the second reading of the bill for an act to establish the National Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science. It further called on the House to expedite action on it for final passage and enactment.

Conference strongly advised all the respective Institutions to evenly distribute the sponsorship for human capacity development among all Medical and Health Professionals to enhance the quality of Health Services to our clients.

11. Conference commended the Federal Government for the introduction of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to ensure a prompt centralized payment system and cub leakages. And thus recommends that the government should fasten the perfection of the system. 

12. Conference expressed concern on the non-inclusion of Medical Laboratory Scientists in virtually all Health Committees such as Hospital Management Boards & Committees, Medical Technical Committees, Pilgrims’ Health Team (Hajj and Jerusalem), among other committees contrary to clear statutory provisions.

13. Conference lamented the growing trend by chief executives of Health institutions like FMC, Asaba, FMC Owerri and Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki to deliberately exclude Medical Laboratory Scientists from employment exercise in their institutions despite policy of governments to ensure adequate manpower disposition in the health sector to cub medical tourism. Conference appealed to government to call such chief executives to order to serve as deterrent to others. 

14. Conference commended Mr. President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, on the inauguration and commissioning of the MLSCN Public Health Invitro Diagnostic Laboratory, Yaba, Lagos, the first of its kind in West Africa. This further underscores Mr. President’s commitment to the transformation of the health sector. 

CONCLUSION:

Until Government at all levels and other healthcare Agencies fully appreciate and harness the potentials of Medical Laboratory Services, no meaningful progress can be made in our Health System in Nigeria, no matter how much money is invested. Misdiagnosis and mismanagement of patients’ conditions will continue to hunt the health sector. Medical laboratory science remains the key to the cure in modern health care practice. We therefore call for the creation, where absent, of the Directorate or Department of Medical Laboratory Services in all Federal and State Ministries of Health in line with the provisions of the National Medical Laboratory Services Policy 2007, and the Professor Akinkugbe Health Reform Committee Report 2004. This will certainly guarantee and ensure the involvement of Medical Laboratory Scientists in policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and management of personnel and services for effective and efficient health care delivery in Nigeria. 

 

Dr G. C. Godswill C. Okara

National President, AMLSN