MLSCN’s inspection, sealing labs in private hospitals illegal — NMA

Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Oyo State, Dr Wale Lasisi has decried activities of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) by sealing laboratories within private hospitals run by medical doctors in Oyo State.

Dr Lasisi, in a reaction to MLSCN visits to private hospitals within the state, said MLSCN has no right to seal laboratories within any hospital, alleging that the body is acting beyond its jurisdiction.

Lasisi, in a message to doctors, declared: “the practice of Medicine and Doctors is regulated only by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and the Ministry of Health (Directorate of secondary healthcare) that registers private hospitals and laboratories in the state.

“Your practice is not subject to any laboratory council and they have no right to come to your facility in the first instance.

“We are aware of the MLSCN going around in Oyo state embarrassing our members who have labs within their facility, this is wrong and should be totally resisted. If they visit your hospital, please tell the policemen who accompany them that they are acting beyond their jurisdiction, they have no right to inspect a facility run by a doctor, they do not have a right to seal your lab.

“Efforts are on to contact the top echelon of the Police Command in Oyo state to dissuade their members from accompanying the so-called MLSCN around with this onslaught. Please know your right and defend it, the national health act is equally clear on issues and leadership. We will not relent in our efforts to resolve this onslaught.”

Alhaji Daudu Olalere, Chairman, Guild of Medical Laboratory Directors, however, in a telephone interview, stated that the MLSCN has a regulatory function on all medical laboratories, irrespective of their location as well as all medical laboratory practitioners. As such, Olalere said, the MLSCN’s visits even to medical laboratories established in private hospitals is justified.

He declared that “they have a checklist they use in the assessment of the medical laboratories they inspect. It is only when they find a quack in the medical laboratory that they close  such facility.”

However, Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Olabode Ladipo, stated that MLSCN wrote the Health Ministry of the visit to say that it was coming to check medical laboratory issues in private laboratories in Oyo State, but the letter did not say it was to also check laboratories in private hospitals.

He declared: “I expected that these will be laboratories under their purview or laboratory scientists. So, if they now start to go to private hospitals, then they have not done exactly what they said they were going to do.”

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• MLSCN’s inspection, sealing labs in private hospitals illegal —NMA