Stakeholders at the 61st yearly scientific conference of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, Lagos State Branch, in Lagos, recently.
The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter, has called for urgent reforms to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported diagnostic products by boosting local production and strengthening the country’s laboratory healthcare system.
The association made the call in 10 resolutions adopted at the end of its 61st yearly scientific conference held in Lagos recently, where experts identified funding shortages, weak local manufacturing capacity, regulatory gaps and inadequate specialist training as major challenges facing Nigeria’s diagnostic sector.
The conference, themed “Global Innovation in Laboratory Medicine: Sustaining Global Best Practices for Better Health Outcomes in Nigeria,” also focused on artificial intelligence, digital health, genomic surveillance, laboratory accreditation and point-of-care testing.
A key resolution was the development of a phased national strategy for the local production of diagnostic products, following revelations that Nigeria imports between 95 per cent and 99 per cent of its in-vitro diagnostic products.
The conference chairman and Managing Director of ISN Medical, Felix Ofungwu, said the country’s heavy reliance on imports had exposed the healthcare system to vulnerabilities in the supply of essential diagnostic commodities.
He called for sustained investment in domestic manufacturing and genomic surveillance, particularly as Nigeria continues to face infectious disease threats and antimicrobial resistance.
The association also urged the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria and relevant government authorities to strengthen quality governance for point-of-care testing and establish sustainable funding for laboratory accreditation.
It said reliable diagnostic services were essential to effective healthcare delivery and disease management.
AMLSN further raised concerns about regulatory gaps created by the rapid adoption of digital and artificial intelligence-driven healthcare technologies.
It called for measures to regulate tele-laboratory and digital diagnostic services, noting that Nigeria does not yet have a unified Digital Health Act.
The association also called for the ethical integration of artificial intelligence into laboratory practice, while stressing that the adoption of emerging technologies must be accompanied by appropriate regulation, quality control and skilled manpower.
An AI-assisted diagnostic platform demonstrated at the conference reportedly reduced the time required to classify leukaemia cases from several days to about two hours.
To address manpower shortages, the association called for expanded postgraduate training and mentorship programmes for medical laboratory scientists.
The Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies at Lagos State University, Prof.l Ibrahim Olateju, said the university was open to engaging with AMLSN on the establishment of postgraduate programmes in Medical Laboratory Science.
The association also renewed its opposition to the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (Amendment) Bill, HB 2701, and the Medical and Dental Practitioners (Amendment) Bill, HB 2695, saying the proposed legislation could weaken the statutory independence of the laboratory regulator and undermine accreditation standards.
Beyond regulation and technology, AMLSN urged the Federal Government to improve security for healthcare workers amid continuing reports of abductions of medical personnel in parts of the country.
It also called for diagnostic and laboratory services to be explicitly included in the Basic Minimum Package of Health Services funded through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
The association linked the reforms to broader public health priorities, including viral hepatitis elimination, disease surveillance, antimicrobial resistance and pandemic preparedness.
It said Nigeria’s experience with genomic sequencing during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of maintaining strong laboratory capacity for public health emergencies.
The communiqué was signed by the AMLSN Lagos State Branch Chairman, Kabiawu Adegboyega; Vice Chairman and Conference Planning Committee Chairman, Dr Uba Benjamin; Secretary, Morounke Mannie-Udoh; and Publicity Secretary, Adeleke Olaoluwa.
The resolutions followed three days of technical discussions on point-of-care testing, artificial intelligence, digital laboratory medicine, local diagnostic manufacturing, genomic surveillance, quality systems, regulation and diagnostic investment.
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