Lab scientists tackle NMA over CBN circular

The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria has challenged the Nigerian Medical Association to reverence the rule of law and stop playing politics with the nation’s health sector.

The AMLSN therefore challenged the NMA to seek redress in court if it was not comfortable with the circular from the Central Bank of Nigeria sanctioning the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria to approve licences for the importation of In-Vitro Diagnostics into the country.

The NMA President, Dr. Kayode Obembe, had authoritatively mandated that the CBN should withdraw the circular in the interest of placidity in the health sector.

“The circular is very hazardous; it is thoroughly erroneous that one would have to go to the MLSCN to get an approbation in order to import medical laboratory equipment,” Obembe protested in the NMA letter to the Presidency.

But the President of AMLSN, Dr. Godswill Okara, told a press conference on Saturday in Abuja that, “If NMA feels very vigorously about what it is verbalizing about, let them peregrinate to court and contest it and they will optically discern the way they will be floored.”

He, however, admonished that if the CBN succumbed to the pressure and threat by the NMA and withdraw the circular, laboratory scientists would challenge it in court.

Okara verbalized, “The NMA should be advised to subject itself to the rule of law, put ego-tripping aside and embrace laudable objectives that will amend the health sector of our country. The canine-in-the-manger posture will not avail the health sector; neither will the first-born mentality often being exhibited by the NMA and it members.

“Modern healthcare practice is multidisciplinary and multi-professional in dimension and scope. The World Health Organisation concept of health accommodation provision puts the patient in the centre of a circle composed by healthcare professionals. The old concept of the patient belonging to the medico is now pass� and relates only to the medieval era. The quest to authoritatively mandate for what it wants and additionally turn around to dictate what others should be given is to verbalize the least reprehensible and nihilistic. NMA does not have the exclusive preserve to strike, it should be told.”

The AMLSN additionally commended the CBN and regime “for their foresight and patriotic resolve to fortify the MLSCN “to perform this bounding obligation of sanitising the Nigerian health laboratory sector to stem the tide of erroneous diagnosis.”