The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) has decried alleged gang-up against its members by the Committee of Chief Medical Directors, Medical Directors and Directors-General under the Federal Ministry of Health.
The National President of AMLSN, Alhaji Toyosi Raheem said it is quite unfortunate that “any time a privilege or right is given to others such as in the case of the recently approved entry point for our members and the need to adjust the levels for existing medical scientists to maintain seniority, some members of this committee would have one reason or the other not to comply with such circulars.”
Raheem spoke in Port Harcourt during the 51st Annual Scientific Conference and Workshop of the association which had the theme Combating Acute and Chronic Health Challenges: The Medical Laboratory as a Critical Tool.”
The AMLSN boss, who said that he had observed that “there are deliberate attempts to stagnate our members and even non-employment of fresh medical laboratory scientists needed to strengthen the laboratory services” further condemned a situation in which medical doctors set up laboratory facilities within their clinics and hospitals. He added that “this is a violation of the National Health Insurance Scheme.”
This practice, Raheem further said, denies AMSLN of its service fees, capitation and other entitlements. He, therefore, called on the Federal Ministry of Health to direct the committee made up of medical doctors “who are in the habit of using their positions to intimidate, oppress and suppress other health professional groups, especially medical lab scientists, to stop this practice.
Continuing, he said that in line with the Federal Government’s directive to the Ministry of Labour on how to avert industrial actions in the health sector, his association forwarded a position paper in which it noted that major causes of strikes are “impunity, disregard to rule of law and disobedience to court judgment, government circulars, approved scheme of service, gross and outrageous disparities and discriminations in salaries and allowances of physicians and other health professionals.”
While calling for the establishment of health directorate in the Federal Ministry of Health, he also demanded the implementation of all court judgments in favour of AMLSN, especially the most recent where all the reliefs sought by his association were granted by the National Industrial Court, Abuja against pathologists.
In his speech, the Chairman of Rivers State chapter of AMLSN, Dr Easter Nwokah stressed the importance of medical laboratory science in health care delivery saying that “it is a common knowledge that every clinical decision is based on, at least, 70 per cent input from laboratory investigation.”
Nwokah, who commended the Rivers State government for the tremendous commitments it has made in health care delivery, also pointed out the need for the creation of a directorate of medical laboratory services in the state service.
He also pointed out that the “non-existence of this directorate has militated against the enhancement in the practice of the profession as well as hindered effective and quality diagnostic service delivery.”
Also speaking, the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the occasion, Hon. Austin Opara commended members of AMSLN for what they are doing in the health sector, adding that it was their efforts that helped Nigeria to combat Ebola virus disease last year.
Opara, who was represented by the Head of Department of Management, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Dr Henry Ejor-Orusa said: “Just like ideas rule the world, ideas in medical laboratory will help in medical field,” adding that medical lab science is one profession where there is a fusion of science and technology.
The Keynote speaker at the event, Prof. Olufemi Oguntibeju of Cape Peninsula University, South Africa spoke on the theme of the conference.
