By Franca Ofili
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 also advised the council to make sure strict adherence of 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, these agencies must now justify the trust placed in them by demonstrating their capacity to rejuvenate the sector.
Salako said defunding could occur at any time or be limited to grants and 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 each of these regulatory bodies, and what are the gaps that need to be filled to make each of these regulatory bodies self-sustaining.
“So when it happens, people will not be caught on unawares,” Salako 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.
According to him, medical laboratories are essential in providing diagnostic services that inform accurate treatment decisions and reduce misdiagnoses, which can 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 its progress in digitisng its operations, encouraging further technological advancements to improve efficiency and record-keeping.
He also stressed the importance of fully digitising the tracking of licensed professionals and identifying those who fail to renew their licenses annually.
In his welcome address the Registrar of the council, Prof. Tosan Erhabor noted that MLSCN was at the forefront of addressing emerging infectious diseases, promised to ensure end of quackery in the nations 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 gave a quick rundown on 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 to include the international accreditation of three key facilities, the In-Vitro Diagnostics Laboratory, the National Quality Assurance Laboratory in Zaria, and the National Laboratory Equipment Calibration Center, marking a significant milestone in ensuring that the facilities meet international standards.
NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA