Medical Lab Scientists Voice Opposition to Health Reform Bill, Citing Risks to Healthcare System

The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) on Saturday articulated significant concerns regarding a bill under consideration by the National Assembly, cautioning that its enactment could jeopardise Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure, endanger patient well-being, and incite further discord among healthcare professionals.

The legislation, identified as Executive Bill HB:2701, along with its Senate counterpart, aims to revise crucial sections of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria Act. Specifically, it targets Sections 3 and 29, which outline the regulatory framework and the professional scope of medical laboratory science practice in the country.

During a press briefing in Abuja, the National President of AMLSN, Dr. Casmir Ifeanyi, characterised the proposed changes as a "dangerous regression disguised as reform." He asserted that the bill 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 stated.

The core of the dispute lies in the proposed reorganisation of the governing board of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), the official body tasked with overseeing laboratory science practice within Nigeria.

Currently, the council’s governance structure ensures professional leadership to maintain technical oversight. However, the proposed amendments would broaden the board's composition to include individuals without specialist qualifications and enhance the influence of political appointees.

Ifeanyi cautioned that such modifications would undermine professional autonomy and dilute 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 elaborated.

He further criticised the proposal to eliminate the stipulation that the MLSCN chairman must be a Fellow of the profession, deeming it a "critical vulnerability" that could permit non-experts to exercise control over vital healthcare systems.

The AMLSN also contested clauses that would incorporate the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria onto the MLSCN's governing board, arguing that this arrangement contravenes established international standards for independent professional regulation.

"Collaboration is not co-regulation. What is being proposed is not synergy, but structural overreach and professional capture," Ifeanyi commented.

Globally, healthcare systems in nations such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Africa maintain distinct separations between professional regulatory bodies, with cooperative efforts focused on clinical practice rather than governance structures.