Be guided by rules, registrar tells lab institutions

•Erhabor

The Acting Registrar/CEO of Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), Tosan Erhabor, has urged Colleges and Schools of Science and Technology to stick to their areas of jurisdiction at all times.

He made the call while presenting certificates to 10 approved schools and eight others that received full accreditation  in Abuja.

Erhabor told the gathering that the the institutions were approved   after a rigorous process,pledging its support in the training of technicians.

Erhabor said although the council had issued similar certificates in the past without fanfare, it decided to do things differently in tandem with the change mantra of the present administration. He urged them to guard their reputation jealously.

“Your official conduct and the quality of your training will have a far-reaching implication on how the council is perceived as a regulatory body,” he said.

Noting that the institutions are manned by people with high pedigree, Erhabor urged those in charge to bring their wealth of experience to bear on the quality of training available to the students, adding that the institutions were established to reduce the shortage of middle-cadre manpower in the country. This, he said, is line with the government policy to take primary healthcare closer to the people by building at least one functional Primary Health Care (PHC) centre in every ward in the country.

Erhabor said the council would not deter any institution from accomplishing their goals provided such is done within the ambit of the law, but warned: “Your relationship with the Council is that of the regulated and regulator, and the lines must be respected at any given time.”

He said the MLSCN Act 11 of 2003 empowers the Council to ensure that all cadres of competent and well trained medical laboratory personnel are available in every nook and cranny of this country,  “You must, therefore, help to change the narrative of rural areas, as not being fit for purpose, bearing in mind that 70 percent of our citizens live there, and they are part of the citizens we are trained to serve,” he said.

He enjoined the training institutions to continue support for the council to achieve its mandate as he promised that Council would continue to upscale the quality of its services to clients and stakeholders.

Replying on behalf of the training institutions, Mr Seni James Barka representing Gombe State College of Science and Technology, Katungo, Gombe State, expressed appreciation to the Acting Registrar/CEO and his team for giving them the opportunity to contribute their quota to the growth of the medical laboratory services sector, adding that the occasion was the first of its kind. He promised that the training colleges would not let the Council down.

Certificates of approval were presented to 10 Colleges to commence the training of medical laboratory technicians, while eight received certificates for full accreditation.