In a move that may compel health workers across the country to embark on another round of industrial action,  the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN), has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to, as a matter of urgency, implement and enforce the judgment delivered by the National Industrial Court (NIC) in their favour.

 

The body said given the explicit nature of the judgment, it is incumbent on the president to compel the Federal Ministry of Health and other health-related agencies of government to enforce and fully implement the decision of the court  as was given in favour of the laboratory scientists.

 

The court, in its judgment on October 23, had held that the association members "are legally entitled to operate/work under a separate department of the employment of the defendants (government).

 

In restoring the order sought by the association, the NIC also declared that AMLSN is "a legally recognised department entitled to relate with other departments in the discharge of its professional duties."

 

The President of the AMLSN, Godswill Okara, while making the clarification on the judgment at a press conference yesterday in Abuja, explained that implementation of the judgment "will ensure effective medical laboratory services in particular and healthcare delivery in general in Nigeria."

 

The association's president observed that "following the non-implementation of the medical laboratory scientist scheme of service, the AMLSN had cause to approach the NIN for judicial interpretation of the laws and statutory documents for efficient and effective medical laboratory service delivery in Nigeria."

 

Okara further stated that he was optimistic that the President Jonathan-led government has an avowed commitment to the rule of law, and as such, would ensure that the federal and states ministries of health implement fully the declaration of the court as expressed in the spirit of the law.

 

He also said the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had granted a two-year extension of the funding support for AMLSN e-learning project.

 

He stated: "The AMLSN is presently hosting the Teal e-learning experts from the K4Health of the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for planning of a meeting for the extended funding. This is to ensure and guarantee that AMLSN will continue and indeed expand the programme, as well as build in-country organisational capacity."

 

According to him, 3,421 medical laboratory scientists have registered with the e-learning website undertaking. Six e-learning courses had been developed so far since the project was initiated.

By Paul Obi