FG Charges 464 Newly Inducted Lab Scientists to Maintain High Standards

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako has urged medical laboratory scientists to ensure that they deliver precise, timely, and reliable laboratory results that support early detection and effective public health response.

Speaking at the Induction/oath-taking ceremony for the 464 foreign trained medical laboratory scientists in Abuja on Thursday, Salako said the role accurate diagnostics in disease detection, surveillance, and outbreak response are indispensable.

He charged the inductees to resist all forms of malpractice; reject quackery; and remember that the trust patients and clinicians place in them is a sacred responsibility.

“Our drive to enhance population health outcomes depends on your ability to deliver precise, timely, and reliable laboratory results that support early detection and effective public health response.

“As we work to unlock the healthcare value chain, your competence inspires investor confidence, stimulates local production of diagnostic tools, and reduces reliance on imports.

“In safeguarding national health security, your roles in disease detection, surveillance, and outbreak response are indispensable,” he said.

Salako added, “that the journey toward Universal Health Coverage, relies on quality laboratory services that reduce errors, cut waste, prevent unnecessary repeat tests, and ensure affordable and efficient care for all Nigerians”.

The Minister charged the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria to unwivering in maintaining standards, enforcing discipline, accrediting training institutions and laboratories, and combating the menace of quackery.

He said that strict adherence to standards will be vital in protecting Nigerians from preventable diagnostic errors and ensuring that laboratory services across the country meet global best practices.

He also commended the leadership of the MLSCN for the reconstruction and commissioning of the Golden Arena, being used for it’s outdoor activities.

All the 464 foreign trained medical laboratory scientists successfully underwent a mandatory 12-month supervised adaptation training programme by the MLSCN.

While conducting the induction, the acting Registrar of MLSCN, Dr. Donald Ibe Ofili urged the laboratory scientists to emphasize ethics and professionalism in every facet of the work; embrace intra and inter-professional harmony.

“You must embrace life-long learning in emerging areas of medical science—from molecular diagnostics to digital health—to remain relevant.

‘Be aware that the Council’s Disciplinary Tribunal is active and we will invoke the full weight of the law to prosecute any erring professional involved in unwholesome practices.

“Today, we also celebrate the commissioning of the reconstructed MLSCN Golden Arena. The original structure, built in 2018 to commemorate the Council’s Golden Jubilee, was tragically damaged by a severe windstorm in 2024,” he said.