2 weeks ago
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By Enyeribe Ejiogu
With good reason, concern is growing among healthcare professionals about the rapid increase in bad health conditions, which lead deaths as well as functional incapacitation that result from late detection of major organ diseases because most Nigerians have not embraced the practice of having regular health checks.
Towards changing the attitude of Nigerians in this regard, National President of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, Dr Uche Odionyenma, believes that all well-meaning Nigerians should support reasonable efforts to improve health outcomes in the country. For this reason, he pledged the support of AMLSN members to the campaign to boost preventive health checks initiative in the country, being organised by People-For-People.
Odionyenma, who has had a career long association with Ondo State since his national youth service year and still resides there, is a senior lecturer in the Department of Medical Laboratory Science, University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo. Prior to moving to UNIMED, he served in various capacities in the Ondo State Civil Service, including being the Head of Department, Medical Laboratory Technology Programme, School of Health Technology, Akure; Deputy Provost, College of Health Technology, Akure, and rising to the position Director, Planning, Research and Statistics Department, Ondo State Ministry of Health. In this interview, he also speaks on key issues relevant to the profession and healthcare delivery.
Year 2025 has ticked off more than 40 days already. Would you say that medical laboratory professionals are really geared up to contribute to better health outcomes in Nigeria?
Yes, legally but practically, it is work in progress. AMLSN owes the patient and the public professional and lawful obligations to vigorously pursue and uphold continuous quality improvement of medical laboratory services and indeed better health outcomes in Nigeria. Medical Laboratory Science is a high-level profession by any standard whatsoever. Medical laboratory professionals are charged by the Schemes of Service of 1972, 1979, and 2001 issued by the Federal Government of Nigeria as well as the enabling law for the practice of the profession, which is Act cap M25, LFN 2004 (Act 11 of 2003). The schemes of Medical Laboratory Services empower medical laboratory scientists to conduct medical laboratory investigations, interpret, design, modify, head and take charge of general administration at the various levels of medical laboratory services. Regrettably, the scheme of service (2001) is yet to be fully implemented in some states’ ministries of health. Also intra and inter-professional rivalries are not helping matters particularly in some of the tertiary hospitals at both state and federal levels.
If you say that they are ready, what is the evidence in terms of service delivery infrastructure and facilities? Use of old processes and reagents remain a major handicap to getting quality reports.
Only recently the Minister of State for Health, DR. Iziaq Adekunle Adeboye Salako, presented accreditation certificates to nine deserving facilities in recognition of their excellent laboratory services. This implies improvement in service delivery in the face of infrastructure and facility challenges. I am particularly impressed that Government facilities were part of the recipients as it erases the erroneous impression that such facilities are poorly managed and maintained.
Now, February 14, Valentine’s Day, is days away. From the perspective of healthcare, what do you think would be a more meaningful way for men and women to mark that day and the weeks following instead of indulging in frivolous revelry that costs a lot of money?
Valentine’s Day is not for noisy partying or merry making. It is a day set aside to show love and for sober reflections. From the perspective of healthcare, it would be more meaningful to mark the day by visiting the sick with gift items, carrying out free medical laboratory investigations and helping with medications for the less privileged.
Do you think that medical laboratories in the country can handle a deluge of requests for preventive diagnostic tests?
Predictive and preventive healthcare practice is personalized medicine, which involves genetic analysis to predict individual future predisposition to disease conditions and taking steps to prevent them or mitigate the severity of such disease conditions in future. It also involves personalized treatment regimen through pharmacogenomics testing.
Having said that, my resounding response is: Oh yes! Licenced and regulated medical laboratories in Nigeria today can handle a deluge of requests for preventive diagnostic tests. Recall our performance during the COVID-19 pandemic, when we handled overwhelming number of samples and were able to stem the scourge. The fact is medical laboratories in Nigeria are underutilized. In developed climes every patient is made to run laboratory investigations first before commencement of treatment to avoid treatment failure caused by non-specific treatment and lack of proper medical investigation before treatment or preventive interventions. Regrettably, in Nigeria patients resort to laboratory investigations after treatment failures. This is unacceptable given the adverse effects associated with intake of drugs not needed.
A non-profit group, People-For-People, is mobilizing to offer Nigerians the opportunity to undergo preventive health checks in collaboration with the JRProst Foundation and suitable CSOs and groups. In what way can AMLSN under your leadership facilitate the initiative, to vastly improve health outcomes?
This idea is laudable and most welcome. Undergoing preventive health checks will help curtail transmission of infection, enable early detection and treatment of medical problems discovered, maintain a healthy population and more importantly allay fears of underlying health challenges. AMLSN will be most willing to collaborate with the non-profit organisation to birth this and similar initiatives. Sponsored preventive health checks is the way to go in this regard given the present hardship. AMLSN will provide the database of licenced medical laboratories and the practitioners and would see our involvement as a public service that will also boost patronage to our members in both public and private sectors.
Early this year in a news report in the Sunday Sun you gave indication that AMLSN under your leadership will actively pursue the commencement of the MLSD programme and passage of the National Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science Bill. Please elaborate on these two fundamental initiatives.
The Doctor of Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS.D) is a six-year programme, which offers an enhanced inter-disciplinary approach to the study of medical laboratory science and prepares students to take up improved leadership and professional roles as Medical Laboratory Scientists in various organisations.
Every profession has a humble beginning. Medical Laboratory Science is not an exception. Human beings are not static, so are institutions, professions and organisations. They are dynamic. As a profession, at each point in time you relate your structures to existing realities. If you are a fixed, ossified organism, evolution will pass you by and you will die.
In July 2011, I was part of the team that represented Nigeria at the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) headquarters in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, in a workshop for harmonization of training curricula for medical laboratory professionals in West Africa. Nigeria made a presentation delivered by our team lead – the erudite Prof. Anthony Emeribe who was then the Registrar/Chief Executive of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN). The then Director General of WAHO flew in from the United States to listen to Nigeria’s presentation on MLSD programme and joined in giving Prof. Emeribe a standing ovation afterwards. Shortly after approval of MLSD curriculum by WAHO, Ghana started the programme in 2014 at the University of Development Studies (UDS), and their maiden graduates (top up group) were produced in 2016 while the six-year trainees graduated in 2020. As I speak, two public universities and one private university have full accreditation to mount MLSD programme in Ghana. Regrettably, Nigeria that made the beautiful presentation is yet to commence the programme. This is totally unacceptable, more so as we pride ourselves as the giant of Africa. AMLSN under my watch will strain every nerve to get NUC approval to mount the MLSD degree without further delay.
The regime of Dr. T. Y. Raheem as AMLSN President (2014-2017) was remarkable in her emancipatory efforts. I was part of the then exco as National First Vice President. We pursued the passage of the National Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science Bill, which was initiated by Dr. G. C. Okara-led Exco (2011-2014). Between 2014 and 2017 the bill was presented to the National Assembly and succeeded at both chambers of the National Assembly, and it got to the then President’s table for assent before our tenure ended. Regrettably, the succeeding AMLSN President, Dr. Bassey couldn’t pull through the assent before the regime of the President Muhammadu Buhari ended. AMLSN under my watch will re-present the bill and ensure it gets Mr. President’s assent.
Why is AMLSN so fixated on establishing a research laboratory in Abuja? Why must it be located in the Federal Capital Territory?
The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists is desirous of ensuring that our medical laboratories are of standard associated with international best practices. The need to set up a research laboratory to serve as a model laboratory cannot be overemphasized. We are not fixated on Abuja. Our plan is to have it first in Abuja given its position as the nation’s capital and replicate in the six geopolitical zones over time to expand access. The research laboratory project when completed will serve as a referral centre for laboratory investigations, among others.
There are reports that the leadership of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria and the practitioners are not on good terms. Please what is the true picture?
It’s totally untrue. The Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria and the practitioners are absolutely in good terms. Don’t forget that the Council is the baby of the Association. A woman’s tender care towards the baby she gave birth to cannot cease, never.
Regarding MLSCN Act, how can AMLSN ensure that the statutory mandates of the Council are maintained and executed faithfully?
AMLSN as a pressure group is a watchdog. Nonetheless, it partners with Government in ensuring the promotion of good standards of practice and protection of public safety and best practice outcome. It’s of interest to note that Government has supported us by giving us all the legal and statutory instruments and structures for the practice of our profession. However, the Association rises in defence of the MLSCN whenever the Government, individuals or groups breach any part of the MLSCN Act. The Association can take measures to compel government, individuals or groups to conform to the provisions of the law. Again, any obstacle on the full execution of the statutory mandates of Council will be cleared by AMLSN. In ensuring that the statutory mandates of Council are maintained and executed faithfully, AMLSN routinely meets with Council and takes reports from Council during the annual conference and AGM.
Internship is a key component of the training process for medical laboratory students. Getting placements for internships has been a major headache for fresh Medical Laboratory Science graduates. How can AMLSN help in ameliorating this problem?
Yes, I agree with you that internship has been a major headache for our fresh graduates. During my tenure as AMLSN First National Vice President under Dr. T Y Raheem, we had a meeting with the then Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, and the issue of internship came up. Prof. Adewole said: “The issue of internship and house officers’ placements has become worrisome. Government is considering central placement using the house officers as a pilot study with a view to accommodating other interns in the health sector the following year. But please tell your institutions to adhere strictly to their accreditation quota for admission.” Unfortunately, only house officers (newly graduated medical doctors) enjoy central placement and efforts to accommodate interns of other health professionals like Medical Laboratory Science, Pharmacy and Nursing, are yet to be captured in the central internship placement. Work in the health sector is a teamwork made up of various professionals. You cannot get the desired results when one of the professions is singled out from the team and motivated because none of them can work alone. The issue of internship will remain a drawback for the health sector until central placement is achieved for all interns in the health sector. AMLSN under my watch will engage the FMoH on this with a view to ameliorating the problem of internship for our fresh graduates.
Nigeria continues to experience a deficit of Medical Laboratory Services manpower. How can this be reversed?
It is a known fact that we experience deficit of Medical Laboratory Services manpower continually as a country. Every professional or even non-professional is in search of greener pastures. It cannot be reversed given our poor economy and management style, but it can be reduced significantly if we enhance our conditions of service, pay competitive wages, improve our infrastructure and equip our laboratories sufficiently. Our management style should change to implementing approved policies. For example, the approved National Medical Laboratory Services Policy stipulates the creation of Medical Laboratory Services Department at the Federal Ministry of Health for effective coordination and supervision of laboratory services in the three tiers of the health system. This is yet to be implemented by the FMoH despite the overwhelming advantages which include revamping of both vaccine production and public health laboratories as well as strengthening diagnostic laboratory services nationwide.
In what practical ways can AMLSN leadership create value for members and consolidate the position of the association as the leading voice for Medical Laboratory Science practitioners in Nigeria?
AMLSN leadership can create value for members in so many ways which include but not limited to ensuring the full emancipation of members at their workplaces, encouraging professional development through our e-learning portal, and seeing to the welfare and well-being of members particularly those with protracted health challenge.
AMLSN will resist anybody, group or institution including government who seek to undermine the profession of medical laboratory science or treat medical laboratory scientists with contempt.
In consolidating the position of AMLSN as the leading voice for medical laboratory practitioners in Nigeria, we are conscious of the fact that Government provided us all the necessary professional recognition, regulatory law, schemes of service, MLS National Policy and strategic framework as well as supporting structures for the effective practice of the profession. We commend Government for these and crave her indulgence to do more.
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