Medical Lab Sci stakeholders kick against NUC’s exclusion of MLSCN from training programme accreditation
The stakeholders , under the aegis of Concerned and Patriotic Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, said the exclusion was contained in the National Universities Commission (NUC) circular dated May 20, 2025 with the reference number [Ref: NUC/ES/138/Vol.65/202].
The stakeholders said the directive, which originated from the Federal Ministry of Education, threatens to undermine decades of progress in healthcare quality assurance and jeopardises the foundation of evidence-based medical practice in the country.
The stakeholders stated that the exclusion negated President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda's promise of a better healthcare system for all Nigerians.
‘’The circular effectively removes MLSCN from its legally established role in resource verification, admissions quota approval, programme accreditation, professional examination oversight, and induction of Medical Laboratory Science graduates. This is not just a policy shift—it is an erosion of professional regulation’’, they said.
The stakeholders, in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, pointed out that Medical Laboratory Science forms the diagnostic backbone of modern healthcare delivery.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary of Concerned and Patriotic Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, Joseph Saliu.
‘’ Laboratory diagnostics constitute the cornerstone of contemporary medical practice, with over 70 per cent of clinical decisions directly influenced by laboratory test results. Medical laboratory scientists perform and interpret complex diagnostic tests that guide disease diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and prognosis assessment across all medical specialties. The profession's impact on patient safety cannot be overstated’’, Saliu said.
Quoting Singh and others, in their 2017 publication of ‘The Global Burden of Diagnostic Errors in Primary Care’, the group said: ‘’accurate laboratory testing is essential for patient safety, as diagnostic errors contribute to approximately 40,000-80,000 deaths annually in hospitals alone’’.
Continuing, the secretary said: ‘’Timely and accurate laboratory results are critical for emergency medicine, intensive care, and surgical decision-making where delays can be life-threatening.
'’Furthermore, medical laboratory scientists play a vital role in infectious disease surveillance, outbreak detection, and epidemiological investigations that protect community health. Screening programs for chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer rely heavily on laboratory-based biomarkers for early detection and prevention.
‘’Appropriate laboratory utilization guided by trained professionals reduces unnecessary testing, healthcare waste, and overall medical costs’’.
The regulation of medical laboratory scientist's practice which cannot be separated from the regulation of it's training, where the standard of practice begins from, is therefore sacrosanct to ensuring quality diagnostic care to the citizenry.
He emphasised that MLSCN has statutory and legal mandates to regulate medical laboratory science training and practice in the healthcare profession, maintaining that strong laboratory systems are fundamental to achieving national health goals, including reduced infant and maternal mortality, infectious disease control, and chronic disease management.
He, therefore, demanded a reversal of the exclusion in the interest of the nation’s healthcare sector and professionalism.
He said: ‘’We respectfully call on the Federal Ministry of Education and the NUC to reassess this directive in light of existing legislation and public health implications. Professional accreditation by statutory bodies is not duplication but a legal and professional necessity.
‘’We urge engagement with MLSCN and other affected stakeholders before implementing such consequential policies. We encourage the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Assembly Committees on Health and Education to defend the legal mandate of MLSCN and ensure that the integrity of healthcare professions is not undermined by misguided directives.
‘’The future of Nigeria's health system cannot be built on policy shortcuts. The MLSCN's role in the accreditation and regulation of Medical Laboratory Science training is non-negotiable.
‘’Excluding the Council not only violates existing law but also exposes the country to significant public health risks. This is not a turf war—it is a matter of protecting lives, preserving standards, and ensuring that professionalism is not sacrificed on the altar of administrative convenience.
‘’We demand the immediate recognition of MLSCN as one of the professional bodies authorized to accredit academic programmes within its mandate, in collaboration with NUC.
‘’Anything less is a direct affront to legal order, professional integrity, national health security, and President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda's promise of a better healthcare system for all Nigerians’’.
