Medical Lab Scientists Reject New Health Reform Bills, Say Passage Will Destabilise Healthcare System
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) yesterday raised serious concerns over a controversial bill before the National Assembly, warning that its passage could destabilise Nigeria’s healthcare system, compromise patient safety, and trigger fresh inter-professional conflict in the sector.
The bill, titled Executive Bill HB:2701, alongside a related Senate version, seeks to amend key provisions of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria Act, particularly Sections 3 and 29, which define the governance structure and scope of medical laboratory science practice in Nigeria.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, AMLSN National President, Dr. Casmir Ifeanyi, described the proposed amendment as “a dangerous regression disguised as reform,” warning that it is “misaligned with global best practices and inimical to Nigeria’s healthcare delivery.”
“This bill does not represent reform; it represents regression. It is dangerous, destabilising, and profoundly misaligned with science and global best practice,” Ifeanyi said.
At the heart of the controversy is the proposed restructuring of the governing board of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), the statutory body responsible for regulating laboratory science practice in Nigeria.
Under the current law, the council maintains professional dominance in its governance to ensure technical oversight. However, the proposed amendment would expand board membership to include non-specialists and increase the influence of political appointees.
Ifeanyi warned that such changes would erode professional independence and weaken regulatory standards.
“A regulatory system driven by politics rather than expertise is not reform; it is institutional sabotage. Leadership in medical laboratory science cannot be detached from scientific competence,” he said.
He further criticised the proposed removal of the requirement that the council’s chairman be a Fellow of the profession, describing it as a “critical vulnerability” that could allow non-experts to control sensitive healthcare systems.
The AMLSN also faulted provisions seeking to include the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria on the MLSCN governing board, arguing that they violate established global standards for independent professional regulation.
“Collaboration is not co-regulation. What is being proposed is not synergy, but structural overreach and professional capture,” Ifeanyi stated.
Globally, health systems in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Africa maintain clear boundaries between professional regulatory bodies, with collaboration occurring at the level of clinical practice rather than governance.
