₦airaland Forum

Onyiridike:
Is it B. Sc. Biochemistry that you are referring to as B. Sc Biology/Chemistry?

What makes you different from an illiterate?

Mr. Man every course is professional. You can ONLY be a lab. Scientist and that doesn't make you more professional than a Biochemist, Microbiologist. Economist, Chemist, Zoologist e.t.c.

You think a Biochemist, Chemist or Microbiologist is NOT a professional?

You think working in the hospital in a nice lab coat is what professionalism is all about?

This MADNESS only happens in Nigeria.

Obviously, you guys are overrated and you should learn to respect other disciplines.

You are not intelligent, does Biology and Chemistry mean the same thing as Biochemistry?. Unlike some of you i respect other professions.
But a universal principle says that ethical issues are involved in Medical testing, that's why only a specialized group of professional equipped with the fundamental and basic medical background must practice it. If you drag a physician to court in the U.S, the American Medical Association will be very much involved, if drag a Clinical lab scientist to court, The American Society for Clinical Lab Scientists will be involved.

In Nigeria, the NMA will defend their members, the AMLSN will defend their members too as they are recognized as health professional groups.
Who comes to your rescue when you send out that poorly cross-matched blood and the patient dies of transfusion reaction? Institute of Science Lab Technologists?. They won't help,they'll stay off, I assure you

nobilis:
I hope you have heard of automated machines that do most of these tests you guys do in the laboratory.

That's all I have to say.

Tomorrow you guys will also blame doctors for the suspension of the MLS program by NUC.
All your woes are caused by the doctor, SMH. It's pitiable.

When you people make this statement i laugh. Automation is welcome with open arms, there are more 20,000 tests that can be run in a laboratory,
It will help reduce the Turn-around-time and give the Nigerian Medical lab Scientist time to venture into biomedical research and improve his professional fortunes among the health team, something currently enjoyed other health professionals except him. What we can not wish away is heavy workload in the laboratory.

Despite automation and advances in lab testing, more lab tests have been requested in the last 10 years than in all of the preceding 25 years put together. People are now very much aware about who does the testing, so they go directly to lab collection centers, these have given birth to direct access testing/ consumer-ordered tests. We also have Dieticians, Nutritionists, homeopaths, naturopaths and holistic practitioners helping people choose tests that could help them seek alternative cures. The demand is unprecedented, so my friend for at least the next 2 centuries, the demand will ensure that Medical lab Scientists continue to contribute to the health needs of people.


As for the suspension of MLS course in Nigeria, there is a clear Political undertone. Everyone knows Dr Ahmadu Alli is an NMA member and also the chairman of the NUC BOT. Even idiots can see the connection. MLSCN is empowered "to determine the level of knowledge it's practitioners must have before they can practice. Faculty of MLS is not an issues in civilized countries, why should it be so in Nigeria?
University of Minnesota has a Faculty of MLS. http://cahp.umn.edu/mls

Let me also bring it to your notice that Robotics and technology will also take it's chunk of your jobs too. Telemedicine, Da vinci surgical system and health informatics technology are the future of medicine. We'll be needing only fewer but efficient physicians in years to come. I'd be worried about that if i were you.

http://qz.com/193919/most-of-what-your-doctor-does-a-robot-can-do-better/

http://www.davincisurgery.com/da-vinci-surgery/da-vinci-surgical-system/

http://fortune.com/2012/12/04/technology-will-replace-80-of-what-doctors-do/

coollabman:
Its very unfortunate that your response is watery. It is common knowledge that special professional training courses are available for biologists/chemists that want to engage in clinical laboratory practice (like the one the american society for clinical pathology runs in conjunction with the american society for microbiology, check here www.asm.org/index.php/nrcm-cert). even in nearby ghana the biomedical scientists over there accept the biological scientists with open arms after the later have fulfilled some requirements (there is no place in this world where this is not done). The flimsy excuse that the curriculum differs no longer holds water because amendments can be made by further training (for example, the IMLT diploma was used successfully for years to convert bsc holders to med lab personnel before mlscn came on board with the bmls cert) .

MLSCN and ALMSN will never be able to solve this problem of quackery with the current approach. Your desire to dominate what you think is your "turf" at the expense of others, who should be your allies, will lead nowhere. You guys fail to be proactive and refuse to think outside the box to stop quackery. The first point I made in my earlier post is a possible solution. Preventing bsc holders from practising their fields as professionals is DISCRIMINATION. STOP THIS NONESENSE CAREER POLITICS!

Secondly, international best practices as recommended by WHO places the medical laboratory under the jurisdiction of the clinical pathologist. The laws operating here were not thoroughly thought out and I believe amendments should be made for the benefit of all.

By the way, are you the new incarnation of YourHealthlabs?

Go back to the link you posted and peruse it
carefully, your asm-ascp website does not say it confers on
you "Medical laboratory Scientist" competencies. Let me quote an excerpt from your source

"Those who pass the exam are certified as a
Technologist in Microbiology (M) or Specialist in Microbiology (SM) by the ASCP and
are issued a certificate with both organizations' names on it."-----http://www.asm.org/index.php/nrcm-cert

Did you notice they were careful not have added the word "Medical"
in front of the "Technologist"? The medico-legal issues surrounding the practice can not
be wished away in countries where they are serious about this practice. Do non-biomedcal scientists(BMS)
in the UK work with patient's samples to achieve results aimed at diagnosis. Do you know that the title "BMS" is a protected title
in the U.K?

Again on your website let's take a look at the functions of a Registered Microbiologist and Specialist Microbiologist.
Is there any job description there with any semblance of working in a Medical laboratory for diagnostic purpose?

You guys have your fields, how many Medical lab Scientists are employed as Food microbiologists, industrial chemists, Environmental biologist and so on?
Do we run the environmental testing laboratories too?. You need to stop seeing the Medical lab Scientist as an ordinary 'Operator' not eligible to differentiate between a hyperglycemic sample caused by DM and a contaminated sample.


Listen the physician's here will click likes and applaud you, but if have any sense of history you will understand
that during the days of biologist/chemist in IMLT, almost every clueless physician will point to the lab and blame it when they butcher a patient.

The lab guys were the fall guys in those days. When a patient dies, it's the lab that delayed results. They prescribe the wrong
antibiotics- "oh that numbskull in the lab didn't run the AST effectively".

Well those "lab guys" have taken responsibility, built capacity, and equipped themselves with enhanced knowledge,
now regulate the laboratory with the full backing of the law. Why should that be a problem? Our national/state hospitals now have very few cases of misdiagnosis traceable to the laboratory. Nowadays, we no longer get frequent finger-pointings for giving bad results and endangering patients as it was in the 70's and 80's, Now we only get finger-pointing for asking to head the medical laboratories we developed-OUR PRIMARY CONSTITUENCIES in accordance with the law. It is a positive turn-around if you ask me.

Wide consultations were made before that ACT was passed as Law, people who thought the "kitchen"/labs should be thrown to the
backyard and blamed it for all their malpractice misfortunes are the ones crying foul today. Our Medical laboratories are getting strengthened,
the Medical Lab.Scientists will keep building capacities through enhanced knowledge and application of same and the patients can only be the greatest winner.

If you are looking to get us back to that age where the "Lab guy" is the fall guy for everyone else and is expected to gladly accept that, then i'm sorry the Law disagrees with you.

In the 50s' and 60's we had medical assistants treating patients because we didn't have enough Physicians, today we have more than ?40,000 physicians.
In the 70's we didn't have enough MLS/Biomedical Scientists. The biologists/chemists without basic knowledge in medical science were drafted in. These were all stop-gap complementary efforts.
Today Nigeria has at least 8,000 Medical Laboratory Scientists. Why go back to the inglorious era?

I am new on this forum, been reading as a guest for months, attracted by lots of misinformation about the MLS profession
and not a reincarnation of anyone. I will also like to meet fellow MLS on these forum. They seem to be very few on this website.

coollabman:
Ok! From my own perspective, I believe the issue of quackery is actually the fault of mlscn and amlsn. They have unwittingly created the enabling environment for such things to become prevalent in nigeria.

First thing they should do is to stop discriminating against bsc holders in the biological sciences (microbiology and biochemistry) and create an avenue for them to be properly trained, registered and licensed for clinical laboratory work. You would be surprised that most of the individuals being referred to as quacks are actually bsc holders in microbiology and biochemistry who insist on practising the medical aspect of their fields. I appeal to mlscn and amlsn to drop this policy of exclusion against them because it has aggravated the problem.

Secondly, mlscn should establish a firm grip on the importation of diagnostic kits into nigeria. I have been made to understand that they are actually listed as pharmaceutical products & medical devices and some of them can be sold directly to consumers without them even visiting the lab e.g pregnancy test kit. Strong regulations should be put in place to stop pharmacists from infringing.

Thirdly, nigeria is a corrupt country! The direct solution to all that plagues the medical laboratory is to solve the endemic corruption that has eaten deep into every fabric of our society.

We need to go back to the drawing board as regards the issue of diagnosis of disease in nigeria. From the little info I got from my contacts in the united states, clinical pathologists and clinical laboratory professionals exist side by side and render the same quality healthcare services to the public. I see no reason why such cannot be done here. The battle for dominance is unnecessary and I believe the exclusive powers mlscn was given in their enabling ACT should be amended in such a way as not to exclude/prevent the pathologist from performing his function of diagnosis of diseases.

Dear friend, There is no discrimination between a B.MLS and B.Sc.
MLS is a professional degree by international standard while the Chemistry/ Biology degrees are academic/research-based. A degree in pharmacology here and in many parts of the world can get you a research assistant position but you can't practice as a Pharmacist. Pharmacy degrees are professional. That's how it goes. Research positions and Professional positions are both important but are not the same.
www.unb.ca/academics/programs/undergrad/fr/medical/

1. MLS have a lot in their curriculum that B.Sc biology/chemistry does not. Anatomy, Physiology are key basic medical courses that must be learned as you'll need to understand structure and functions of what you studied in school and apply them in the lab Scenario- When you told to explain the collection of endocervical smears at squamo-coloumnar junctions, how do you explain that as a chemist?.

2.There are drugs that interact and alter medical laboratory results giving false-positives or false-nagatives, it is the Lab. Scientist's job to know this and factor it in before signing and releasing lab results. This is one of the many reasons Pharmacology is taught to Lab. Scientists. This course is absent in Biologist's/chemist's curriculum.

We also have medical counseling, medical ethics and jurisprudence. CLS are also sued by patients for malpractice(e.g giving out wrong results that may endanger patient's lives), they also testify in court in rape cases. Is the chemist/biologist equipped with this knowledge. That's why it is regulated and it's practioners licensed. Lives are involved. Those aforementioned courses are missing in Biology and chemistry curriculums.
We need to stop seeing the medical laboratory as an afterthought kitchen where any joe can come in and run medical tests. The Medical Laboratory now plays a central role. Infact the HIV battle was fought and won in the laboratory.

3. Importation of diagnostics by law is supposed to be regulated by Medical Lab profesionals through the MLSCN, but our wardmen in labcoats believe otherwise. CBN have released a circular to that effect in accordance with the law.

Scientists and pathologists can work together but on different frequencies, in different offices towards a better health for the patient but they are distinct professions and none should seek to head the other. Pathologists should head theirs while MLS should also head theirs. That's what the law says.

nobilis:
Jittery??
In what sense am I jittery?

Isn't it paradoxical that the people who always clamor for "international best practices" just want to abandon the same international best practices just to further their own selfish gains and purposes?
This behaviour is only expected of worshippers of the god, Janus.

International best practices is good when it favours you wardmen. There a tons of stuffs the MLSCN can ask for if you wanna travel the IBP lane.

D.mls/D.cls is also international best practices. Many clueless physicians(pathologists inclusive) besiege sites like labtestsonline.com asking loads of questions about certain lab tests due to the fear of malpractice. It is the Clinical Lab Scientists that always come their rescue. Our Nigerian butchers like won't let that happen. My Director here in the U.S is not a Pathologist. He is a CLS with an M.Sc.
Direct access testing/ Consumer-ordered test is becoming embraced by peeps who have decided to take their own health into their hands. Some people no longer take frequent trips to the physicians office before they can order tests. When they need a follow up, they simply work into the lab for their blood work. That's international best practice. Will you embrace it?.

In the U.K Medical groups have warned Pathologists not to sign jobs they didn't do.
Consultant Biomedical Scientist(equivalent of Medical lab. Scientists in Nigeria) in the U.K have their job roles in the NHS without encroachment from the pathologist. That's IBP, have you embraced that too?.

A pathologist's job is purely clinical, he is an expert on disease study not on Medical laboratory principles, methods and management. Professionally they are 2 different things.

Op is a Pharmacist but sounds like a nutritionist.

nobilis:
Hmmm. I'm not making noise o.
There is nothing I said here that goes against the Med Lab laws.

And you, instead of making noise here, go to Abuja and lament the rape of Medical Laboratory Science.

We are already doing that, that's why you are jittery.

nobilis:
Diagnosis starts before the lab. Not in, or after the lab.

Secondly, a pathologist is always in charge of laboratories anywhere in the world. It is not encroachment, it is how things ought to be. Until Medical Laboratory Scientists in Nigeria learn to humble themselves and work in conjunction with the pathologists, they will always feel cheated and raped.

Know your position in a place and gladly and proudly occupy it. That's the best way to gain pride and recognition for your profession.

Do not make too much noise here, go to Abuja and repeal the Med lab laws. The average Nigerian now knows who actually runs those tests that promotes and saves their lives in our hospitals. Mr pathologist go consult with your physician-friends on clinical disease management and leave the lab for those who have spent all 5 university years +1year internship learning how to run it-The Medical Lab Scientist.

The Rape of Medical Laboratory Science Profession: The Bane of Modern Healthcare Delivery in Nigeria

Rape according to Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary is (1) “to force somebody to have sex with you when he/she does not want to, by threatening him or her using violence” or (2) “the act of destroying or spoiling an area in a way that seems unnecessary”. It is further defined by online dictionary to mean “to abuse an object in an extreme manner or to dominate in a contest”. By extension therefore a forceful encroachment into a profession or field of practice by non-professionals is tantamount to rape.

A profession on the other hand is a type of occupation or job that needs special training or skill especially one that needs a high level of education. Every profession is established by law and there are rules and regulation guiding its practice.

Among the healthcare professions, one of the most abused is Medical Laboratory Science. In a hospital setting or any other healthcare institution the medical doctors are employed for clinical services, the nurses also are taken for their services but that cannot be said of the medical laboratory scientists. Other professionals are allowed to practice exclusively but for the medical laboratory, various persons are allowed to encroach into it. If it is not the doctor, it is the nurse or even ward-maids. Many other persons may be employed and designated “lab man”.

Therefore it is important for me to define the medical laboratory science profession, for us to know who the medical laboratory scientist is. It is “the practice involving the analysis of human and animal tissues, body fluids, excretions, production of biologicals, design and fabrication of
equipment for the purpose of medical laboratory diagnosis, treatment and research”… (Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria Act, 2003 No 11 Sect. 29). And a Medical Laboratory Scientist (the scientist) therefore, is a person who has undergone an approved educational training and obtained a degree in a council approved institution, is subsequently registered and duly licensed by the council to practice (Section 18). And the law further said; no person not fully registered shall be entitled to practice the profession.

Therefore the engagement of any person by self, government or institution is illegal and amounts to a rape of medical laboratory science profession.

LEVELS OF RAPE OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE
1.EMPLOYMENT OF QUACKS
The employment of quacks or non-professionals to manage and render medical laboratory services is a common place in Nigeria. It is done at various levels in both public and private sector.

(A) THE GOVERNMENT.
The State and local governments are the most common culprits. They engage quacks and post them to work in our medical laboratories when there are many scientists either unemployed or under employed. This is worrisome because the supposed implementers and executors of the
laws and regulations of the land are the worst violators. If government (the leadership) does this, what do they expect of the private sector? This official employment of quacks appears to be directed particularly at medical laboratory science in the health sector. Otherwise, where have
you seen a non -medical doctor posted to consult patients in government hospitals in Nigeria? Even under emergency, when there are no doctors the patients are left unattended. If the doctor does not come eventually, nothing happens and heavens do not fall. This act of quackery is about playing out again.

In a recently advertised recruitment exercise by Imo State government, the position of medical laboratory scientist is not advertised. This is in a situation where there are not enough scientists in the existing general hospitals. And the government is building 27 new ones who are going to work in the medical laboratories?

(B) PRIVATE HOSPITALS AND CLINICS
All private hospitals and clinics in Nigeria show on their signposts the offering of laboratory services, among others. But more than 90% of them have no Scientists. Who then runs the laboratory tests? Or are the tests not done? The society needs answers to these questions. It is important we know who handles our biological specimens and how. And the patients are entitled to know the result of their laboratory test(s) and have it. The private clinics can have laboratories attached to their centres, but they need to employ the appropriate manpower and equipment and be prepared to subject them to scrutiny by the regulatory body. If not they are going foul of the law. Alternatively, they can go into collaboration with registered and licensed laboratories to cover them. This is the global best practice. A hospital is not authorized to render laboratory and even pharmacy services unless it has the complementary workforce.

C) PHARMACY SHOPS
Almost all pharmacy shops now render medical laboratory services. This is the most recent level of rape of medical laboratory science profession. And it has become a common place since the advent of “point of care kits. The Pharmacists have joined in the rape whereas they cry wolf against the patent medicine vendors and guard jealously the opening of pharmacies.

There is need to state here that the sales and dispensing of drugs are not too difficult. Before now it was in the hands of non-pharmacists. As they have seen the need and are working to protect and preserve their profession, they should not join in raping medical laboratory science.

(D) THE NGOS
The NGOs are falling over themselves to render healthcare services. That is good. To render these services, they employ doctors and nurses, for their services, but for laboratory services, they employ “anybody”. And you need to see how this laboratory services are rendered. No interest is shown for the accuracy or reliability of the results produced. No precautions whatsoever are taken, particularly of safety. The question again here is, why “anybody” but not the scientist for laboratory services, while the right personnel are employed for other professions.

(E) PRIVATE LABORATORY
This is another area where you find a chunk of quacks. Many non-professionals open and manage laboratories. This level of rape is chronic and needs to be eliminated. It requires the concerted efforts of all the medical laboratory scientists, government at all levels and the populace/patients. The patient should ascertain the qualification of whom you are patronizing. The consequences of the employment of quacks include production of inaccurate, unreliable and non-reproducible results. This in turn means misdiagnosis and then mistreatment. In turn clinician will resort to guess work in managing patients. A non professional with the resources can set up a lab but has to employ the appropriate manpower to run it.

The use of quacks is of dare consequences – wastage of resources and eventual wastage of life. We need to discourage it.

2. DEARTH OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENTISTS IN IMO STATE PUBLIC SERVICE.
It is a truism that laboratory services are essential components of health care delivery. There are only about twenty medical laboratory scientists in the employment of Imo State government and non in the local governments. This is about an average of one scientist to a functional general hospital, except the specialist hospital, where we may have up to 4. The situation arose because scientists retire and no new ones are employed.

It is important to bring to our notice here that before now the specialist hospital, then general hospital Owerri, had accreditation to train both students of medical laboratory science and Interns. But it has lost the accreditation due to poor situation in its laboratory services department.

The implication is that our students do not get the adequate training and the graduates have to look outside the State for placement if they are not taken by FMC, Owerri. This is improper and should be corrected.

Recently, due to the accreditation being sort by Imo School of Nursing and Health Sciences, the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria visited the specialist hospital. The hospital is one of those cited by the school as one of its training centers. Behold the laboratory facilities and manpower therein are below expectation. And unless the laboratory facilities and manpower are upgraded securing the reaccreditation may be difficult.

To be contd.

Igwebuike Charles
Chairman
Assoc. of Medical Laboratory Scientistsof Nigeria Imo State
Phone No.: 08033826056, 08095450675.

Paul Obi in Abuja

The President of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria( AMLSN), Dr Godswill Okara has said there is an urgent need for Nigeria to focus more on vaccine laboratories in order to protect its citizens from sudden future outbreak of diseases.
Okara who recently returned from an international medical laboratory scientists’ conference in Taipei, Taiwan, said amid the success Nigeria recorded in containing the Ebola virus, more needed to be done to revamp laboratories and put additional resources into vaccines research.

According to Okara,"Nigeria's success in rapidly diagnosing the Ebola virus disease and its ability to halt the spread of the outbreak has received tremendous applause from the over 2000 delegates at this congress. They have also commended Nigeria's offer to train 15 health-care professionals including medical laboratory scientists in the effective response, diagnosis and control measures for the disease in the three affected West African countries.

"Our Asian colleagues narrated their experience in the diagnosis and control of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in their region sometime ago, especially the delay involved before they succeeded in the diagnostic characterisation and control of the causative viral pathogen.”
He said: "Nigeria should indeed consider the response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak as a wake-up call. We should learn the salient lessons that our Nigerian health professionals have the capacity and capabilities to perform effectively if given the necessary resources to work.

"It was possible to achieve the success, because government promptly released the funds needed to give the desired rapid intervention to investigate, accurately diagnose and manage all the infected persons, as well as prevent further contact with those infected persons."
He maintained that "this is the time to focus attention on the reactivation of the vaccine production laboratory in Nigeria to produce vaccine for the eradication of Ebola virus disease. The high fatality rate associated with the infection calls for nothing but urgent effort at its eradication through vaccination.

"If the government gives the commitment and funds, it is achievable. Nigerian medical laboratory scientists produced the smallpox vaccine used for the control and eradication of smallpox in the entire West African region. Yellow fever and Rabbis vaccines were produced in large quantities in Nigeria by medical laboratory scientists in the 1960s and 1970s.”
Okara also stated that “it is sad that Nigeria now prefers to import Yellow fever and Rabbis vaccines from abroad. Our facilities have been allowed to degenerate because of poor funding and gross mismanagement. Vaccine production is entirely a medical laboratory procedure which medical laboratory scientists possess the knowledge, skill and technical dexterity to produce.
"Inter-professional bickering in the health sector, and the persistent penchant by some professionals in the health sector to head and control every imaginable thing in the sector was the cause of the collapse of vaccine production in Nigeria. Square pegs must be put in square holes, if we must make progress in Nigeria.”

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/-why-nigeria-should-focus-more-on-vaccine-laboratories-/190901/

My dear countrymen, there are more than 90,000 Americans awaiting Kidney transplant as we speak. Your kidneys have been paid for already. Fight this law now!. Rise!

seun, obinoscopy, oam4j,ngwakwe please save Nigerians, save us. This is not about politics, this is about our lives.

MODS please frontpage.

The Scenario: You walk into a hospital for treatment of stomache ache or headache, the physician or manager decides that it is an emergency, he then removes your kidney without your consent for onward shipment or transfer to a rich American who has paid the hospital for a good kidney. Fiam! your kidney is shipped to the U.S. You can't go to court because-

1. The new health law does not require you/your family's consent for removal

2. Any condition can be deemed an emergency by the healthcare provider/physician/manager as the law is not explicitly clear on it's definition.

NIGERIANS ARE IN SOUP. IT COULD BE YOU, IT COULD BE YOUR RELATIVE, ACT NOW. THAT LAW MUST BE EXPUNGED.

Read this from a Prolife Organization. Nigerian's are busy sleeping while their organs are already been bid for by international bodies.

NATIONAL SECURITY READ AND CIRCULATE WIDELY
WRITE YOUR OWN PROTEST!

16th July, 2014

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCON,

President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the

Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Your Excellency,

The Global Prolife Alliance (GPA) would like to draw your attention to the greatest National Security Threat posed by the National Health Bill 2014 as passed by the National Assembly and urge you not to assent to this NHB 2014 because it was funded by the Foreign Biotechnology Companies and International Organ Trafficking Cartel to use Nigerians for Biological Slave Trade and Organ donation! NO CHANGES were made from the prior versions, only cosmetic rewording!

In summary, the NHB 2014, has serious flaws, since the Bill fails to protect the ‘Sanctity of Life’ and ‘Dignity of the Human person’ as enshrined in the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria at the 36th Annual General Meeting (AGM) pointed out the serious flaws in the current bill (see http://www.medicalworldnigeria.com/2014/05/communique-issued-at-the-end-of-the-36th-agm-and-isc-of-the-association-of-general-and-private-medical-practitioners-of-nigeria#.U8b1crGpCiU ). It would be successfully challenged in Nigerian and International Human Rights courts. Here are the highlights:

· The NHB 2014 permits the trafficking in human ovarian eggs and sperms, by not mandating use of human gametes (ovarian eggs and sperms) under CONSENT. Note that, the Bill deceptively excludes ‘gametes’ in the definition of ‘tissue’ in the Interpretation section, so that it is not protected by CONSENT for tissues. The poaching of human ovarian eggs would lead to medical complications of ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome, that would result in deaths of over 10 million poor Nigerian women in the next five years, who may be forced by economic hardship to sell their ovarian eggs. The use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) Foods (Bill Gates Yellow Cassava, Rice, Maize, Millet, Yam etc.) was designed to create artificial famine at will. The genes for replanting and growth in the GMOs have been switched off. So women would need to DONATE THEIR OVARIAN EGGS FOR FOOD CROP seeds that are issued through FMOA, IITA, Root crops institute etc. This is why we have the Foreign Sponsored Boko Haram Crisis that has targeted and killed over 80,000 farmers and displaced 3 million in the Northeast natural food basket of Nigeria. Bill Gates and Monsanto are seeking to replace the farms in the Northeast with GMOs plantations (see details: http://crimefacts.org/another-group-links-bill-gates-to-boko-haram-insurgency-in-nigeria/ )

. Bill Gates owns over 90% of the Embryonic Stem Cell Biotech Companies, owns Monsanto the GMOs company, owns Blackwater private army (see: http://www.voltairenet.org/article179691.html ) who hires mercenaries from Liberia and Sierra Leone to fight in Nigeria (see: http://www.counterpunch.org/2009/04/06/blackwater-in-liberia/print) who were Charles Taylor’s former child soldiers (see: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/blackwater-xe-scours-war-torn-africa-for-new-hires/ ) and now so-called Boko Haram trained at the CIA base in Burkina Faso (see http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-expands-secret-intelligence-operations-in-africa/2012/06/13/gJQAHyvAbV_story.html )

. The Bill Gates Foundation and their allied international donor organizations are sponsors of the NHB 2014, to create sources for 100 million ovarian eggs per year from 10 million Nigerian women who would die 2-3 years later. Nigeria today is the highest exporter of ovarian eggs in the World according to EU Policy Report, so IVF practitioners seek a legalized framework to expand egg poaching from Nigerians. The Chibok girls kidnapping was used to pressure Nigeria but so far failed. Now strikes funded through proxies in the various sectors of Nigerian economy is now in use in the mix with some legitimate agitations. Please don’t yield to this pressure because the country will totally capitulate on every threat resulting in deaths of millions of Nigerians!

· The NHB 2014 does not provide for explicit DONOR consent for human organ transplantation in Sections 48 and 51, which creates room for human organ poaching and trafficking trade that would endanger the lives of many Nigerians. It is alarming that the international organized crime cartels have become involved in Nigeria, seeking to open new opportunities after the closure of the illegal human organ sales in India and the Philippines.

· The NHB 2014 mandates issuance of Certificate of Standards in Section 13, focused on building and equipment requirements rather than medical services. The Bill was deceptively crafted to mandate closure of many private and mission hospitals in Nigeria within the next 24 months, while providing for thriving foreign owned and operated hospitals in Nigeria built under the International Building Code for hospitals not matched by 98% of Nigerian hospitals today. The ensuing chaos in the health sector would lead to many Nigerians loosing their lives.

· The NHB 2014 in Sections 43 and 45 does not offer job security for Nigerian public health workers during resolution of industrial disputes. The idea is to sack Nigerian health workers from key teaching hospitals and replace them with foreign workers involved in organ harvesting allowed in Section 51 where the Foreign Doctors authorize organ transplantation from Nigerians to foreigners on ‘Organ Transplant Tourism’ in Nigeria.

The NHB by proposing FREE Emergency Services in Section 20 is impractical and unsustainable; rather Nigeria should aim at Universal Health Coverage Insurance Scheme. It is an unacceptable abuse of human rights in Section 48 that waives the CONSENT clause even for free emergency treatment, since it would expose patients to many abuses including organ poaching for sale allowed in Section 51

· The NHB 2014 in Sections 43 and 45 does not offer job security for Nigerian public health workers during resolution of industrial disputes. The idea is to sack Nigerian health workers from key teaching hospitals and replace them with foreign workers involved in organ harvesting allowed in Section 51 where the Foreign Doctors authorize organ transplantation from Nigerians to foreigners on ‘Organ Transplant Tourism’ in Nigeria.

· The NHB by proposing FREE Emergency Services in Section 20 is impractical and unsustainable; rather Nigeria should aim at Universal Health Coverage Insurance Scheme. It is an unacceptable abuse of human rights in Section 48 that waives the CONSENT clause even for free emergency treatment, since it would expose patients to many abuses including organ poaching for sale allowed in Section 51.

We thank you in anticipation.

Yours sincerely,

Academician Prince Dr Philip C. Njemanze MD, Chairman, Global Prolife Alliance (GPA).

Copies sent to: Pope Francis I, Heads of States, African and South American Parliamentarians, Catholic Bishop Conferences in Nigeria and Africa, Protestant Bishops, AU Parliament, EU Parliament, US Congress, National Parliaments in Europe and Asia, Organization of Arab States, UN Ambassadors, UN Security Council, National and International Press

Nigerians must rise against section 51 of the National health bill that allows removal of organs without patient's or family's consent. Nigerians Rise!

http://jemimanigeria.com/health/open-letter-to-president-goodluck-jonathan-not-to-assent-to-the-national-health-bill-2014-passed-by-the-national-assembly

By Femi Falana

IT was reported in the media last week that President Goodluck Jonathan had signed the National Health Bill into law. As a legal framework for the management and regulation of the health sector the Act has addressed some of the challenges and concerns of the Nigerian people with respect to access to medical care. Unfortunately, some of the provisions of the Act have empowered doctors to violate the right of Nigerians to life by removing the organs of living persons without authorization. Before examining the obnoxious provisions of the Act it is pertinent to note that it is the most comprehensive legislation on healthcare in Nigeria.

Section 46 of the Act which has barred public officers from travelling abroad for medical check-up, investigation and treatment at public expense should compel the Federal Government to fix and upgrade some hospitals to international standards. To ensure the provision of basic health services to Nigerians not less than one per cent of the consolidated revenue fund of the Federal Government shall be allocated to the National Provision Fund on an annual basis. But having regard to the enormous costs of medical services the one per cent allocation is like a drop in the ocean. It is, however, hoped that the National Health Insurance Scheme will be reorganized to partner with the National Health Council (created under the Act) to ensure the provision of efficient and affordable healthcare delivery system throughout the country.

It is, however, doubtful if both chambers of the National Assembly which had passed the Bill and the President who assented to it studied the provisions of the law. Otherwise how can the President and the federal legislators justify section 51 of the Act which provides as follows:

“1. A person shall not remove tissue from a living person for transplantation in another living person or carry out the transplantation of such tissue except:

(a) In a hospital authorized for that purpose; and (b) On the written authority of; (i) The medical practitioner in charge of clinical services in that hospital or any other medical practitioner authorized by him or her; or (ii) In the case where there is no medical practitioner in charge of the clinical services at that hospital a medical practitioner authorized thereto by the person in charge of the hospital.

2. The medical practitioner stated in subsection(1)(b) shall not be the lead participation in a transplant for which he has granted authorization under that subsection.

3. For the purpose of transplantation, there shall be an independent tissue transplantation committee within any health establishment that engages in the act and practice of transplantation as prescribed.”
It is indubitably clear from the said section 51 of the Act that the National Assembly has infringed on the fundamental rights of every citizen of Nigeria to the dignity of their person and the right to privacy as well as freedom of thought, conscience and religion guaranteed by sections 34, 37 and 38 of the amended 1999 Constitution. As there can be no justification for reducing the body of a Nigerian citizen to spare parts of vehicles which can be removed and sold in the market the National Assembly has, by the obnoxious provision of the National Health Act, 2014, abused its legislative powers. Before the passage of the controversial bill into law the constitutional right of the Nigerian people to reject or refuse medication including a life saving treatment on religious grounds had long been recognized by the courts. The essence of the constitutional right is that an individual should be allowed to choose a course for his/her life subject to overriding public interests. Hence, the consent of patients or their family members is required whv bnere surgical operations are recommended. Where such consent is not freely given a doctor cannot perform an operation on any person without a court order.[size=15pt] From the information at my disposal a powerful Foundation in the United States influenced the introduction of section 51 to the bill at the National Assembly[/size]. It is sad to note that none of the legislators could challenge the sponsors of the provision which cannot be found in any of the health legislations in western countries.

Since medical doctors have been empowered to decide when to remove organs from living persons Section 51 of the Act constitutes an infringement of the rights of citizens to life, dignity of their persons as well as the rights to privacy and freedom of thought, conscience and religion guaranteed by Section 33, 34, 37 and 38 of the Constitution. In Medical and Dental Practitioner Disciplinary Tribunal v. Okonkwo (2001) WRN 1 the Supreme Court held that a patient has the constitutional right to reject a life-serving treatment on religious n grounds. In the leading judgment of the apex court Justice Emmanuel Ayoola held inter alia: “The patient’s constitutional right to object to medical treatment or, particularly, as in this case, to blood transfusion on religious grounds is founded on fundamental rights protected by the 1979 Constitution…The right to privacy implies a right to protect one’s thought, conscience or religious belief and practice from coercive and unjustified intrusion; and, one’s body from unauthorized invasion. The right to freedom of thought, conscience or religion implies a right not to be prevented, without lawful justification, from choosing the course of one’s life, fashioned on what one believes in, and a right not to be coerced into acting contrary to religious belief. The limits of these freedoms, as in all cases, are where they impinge on the rights of others or where they put the welfare of society or public health in jeopardy.”

It is pertinent to point out that it is the medical doctor or manager of a hospital and not the donor who has the power to authorize that an organ be removed from a living Nigerian citizen. The definition of “organ” in the law includes kidney, liver, heart, lens, ovarian eggs, sperm. The proponents of the law are likely to refer to section 48 thereof which provides for the “informed consent” of a donor. But such consent “may be waived for medical investigations and treatment in emergency cases”. As far as the fundamental right of a Nigerian to dignity is concerned there can be no waiver of consent under any medical condition.

Since the consent clause may be waived for “medical investigation and treatment in emergency cases” it does appear that medical practitioners and hospitals have been licensed to remove tissues and organs of living Nigerian citizens as any medical condition may be considered an emergency. By denying patients the right to give consent or authorize the removal of vital organs from their bodies the National Assembly has empowered doctors to subject Nigerians to degrading and inhuman treatment. In other words, Section 51 of the Act constitutes an egregious assault on the humanity of Nigerians. The provision of the law cannot be allowed to be implemented in any civilized society. Therefore, the National Assembly should expunge it from the law without any delay.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/removing-body-organs-without-consent-permitted-national-health-act-2014/#sthash.5oC3PYH9.dpuf

Zeus777:
ok would not trade insults wt u it's not my thing. The point is that even the excesses of this laboratory council underlies the reason y most of these regulatory bodies should be combined or even outlawed . Bms is an integral part of medicine. Infact it is exactly what makes medicine; it is the foundation. because the forefathers of medicine felt the workload for medicine was enormous hence the birth of this allied health courses. Now u are suggesting that those basic medical science be usurped from medicine and then bcom a part of another faculty hence it would b like a "borrowed" course for medical students!!! Damn. Do u even know u cannot pass a surgical primary exam if u don't know all this BMS courses including what constitute MLS? Durin my residency days u had to refer back to ur BMS else u won't pass .now u jokers want some part of that BMS to either b duplicated or b moved out of college of medicine . Courses that make up MLS is not exclusive to medical lab tech student it is also a part of medicine.,if u give a whole faculty to MLS y not do thesame to anatomy, biochemistry, nursing ?? I am done exchanging text wt u . Enjoy the rest of the day am out of here!

You think after Nigerians have spent legislative hours finetunning and promulgating medical laboratory council laws you can wake up anyday and start selecting for the MLS council what laws to enforce. What excesses are you talking about?. Did they chase you from your surgical rooms?, Did they stop you from entering the GOPD rooms?. What exactly do you mean by excesses?.

You claimed that Faculty of MLS is inappropriate yet we have shown you International Universities that have MLS faculties up and running almost half a century before Nigeria was born. Listen, Dr Ahmadu Alli the NUC Board chairman won't be there forever but MLSCN council laws that empowers the MLSCN to determine the level of knowledge required to be an MLS will stand the test of time. Good night.

Zeus777:
lol....so we should Hv a whole faculty just for MLS? Go to that university of Minnesota that u cited and go and complete ur studies there.....joker!!!

Listen kid, It is obvious you are still an undergraduate struggling to get out, one wonders how a Faculty of MLS affects your MBBS grades. Leave health politics for the Professionals on ground and concentrate on your grades. Just an advice.

Zeus777:
isnt it the same yayale commitee findings u lots where clamourin for??Now that what's obtained in sane climes Hv been thrown at u by that same commitee, you are here formulating a conspiracy theory of ur own....continue in ur delusion!!!

There is no conspiracy theory to formulate, these are pure verifiable facts, it seems you are still a student, and did not expect to see this. Go make your findings yourself. The Pathologists are trying to be judges in their own case. It is enough to nullify that recommendation. At the end of all, we are subject to the rule of law.

And for those who are thinking of scrapping Faculties of Medical Laboratory Science citing International best practice. University of Minnesota in the united states has a Faculty of Medical laboratory Science that has been up and running since 1923. Nigeria will not be different.

http://cahp.umn.edu/mls

Zeus777:
ok so is yayale ahmed also an NMA member??

On the anomalous recommendation by the Yayale commitee that Pathologists should head the lab while the Medical Lab Scientist head is made the Technical Director. A member of the Dr Yayale's team is the Director of Pathcare laboratory, owned by Pathologists who have been dragged to court by the Medical Laboratory Council for disregarding Medical Lab council federal laws. That pathologist influenced that recommendation and is trying to be judge in their own case. What they couldn't get through the courtroom, they want to smuggle through the backdoor. It won't work.

As a Medical Scientist working for Médecins Sans Frontières your resourcefulness and adaptability will be called upon regularly. The contexts in which you work may include: training technicians in sputum microscopy as part of a TB treatment program or helping set up a laboratory in such a way as to prevent airborne infection – without the use of common western technology such as laminar air flow cabinets.

You will be faced with the challenge of handling highly infectious material in rural and very basic settings. You will be responsible for ensuring quality control and providing training for the technicians under your responsibility.
REQUIREMENTS

Compliance with Essential Criteria for all potential Field Workers
Degree or diploma in Laboratory Technology, or Microbiology with applied parasitology and bacteriology
Experience with sample-taking (blood, sputum, stool)
Knowledge of clinical laboratory techniques and laboratory testing quality control methods

ASSETS

Knowledge of epidemiology and tropical diseases (for example STDs, virology, TB, blood bank, malaria, HIV, kala azar)
Experience in using laboratory software packages and carrying out surveys



http://www.msf.org.au/join-our-team/who-we-need/medical-scientists/?gclid=CLSn7deojMMCFUrjwgodVE4AiA

Oduduwaboy:
NMA! NMA!! NMA everywhere!!! these nigerian doctors are just toooooooooo wicked! Why cant they just allow the Medical lab technicians ( ?scientists) to have their own faculty? Of course, in no time the nurses, physiotherapy...cleaners will begin to agitate for their own independent faculties all in a bid to stave off oppression of doctors!

Actually yes!, Dr Ahmadu Alli an NMA member is the Board member/Chairman of NUC. NMA has an interest in the whole issue. He is also in GEJ's political kitchen cabinet. A good reason GEJ must be voted out next month. These charlatans have to give way.


https://www.nairaland.com/2087791/health-sector-headship-tussle-olaoluwa

We cannot trample upon the humanity of others without devaluing our own. - Chinua Achebe

He who will hold another down in the mud must stay in the mud to keep him down- Igbo Adage

Please, can an educator or someone who had a bachelor degree in education claim to always be the most qualified for VC, DVC, provost, registrar, deans, hods of a university restraining others from attaining such positions?

a. Headship of; (i). Medical Laboratory Science Service (ii). Radiography (iii) Optometry etc, where Physicians are imposed as perpetual heads over other Professionals such as Medical Laboratory Scientists, Optometrists, Radiographers and others. Since no profession is superior to another neither anyone inferior to the other we disagree with this recommendation for the following reasons:

i. It negates the provisions of the individual regulatory body.
ii. It is also contrary to the provision of schemes of service In use in the federation and public service rules on seniority. In order to promote industrial peace and Professional autonomy, I strongly recommend that each of the recognized profession be allowed to have its own substantive head of department contrary to the recommendation that the Pathologist shall be the full Head of department while Medical Laboratory Scientist shall be Technical head. This is unacceptable. Pathology is not a profession. Medical Lab Sci is a profession. Far be it from us that practitioners of a profession become answerable to practitioners of an ordinary specialised field of medicine. b. National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NIC) had ruled expressly that there is no conflict between MDP and MLSCN Acts. Therefore, the Federal Ministry of Health and all Tertiary Hospitals should obey the Court judgement and implement it to the letter without further delay. Anything short of this will amount to disrespect of Court judgement, contempt of the Court and invitation to anarchy.

Who is medically qualified? Medicine is the science, art, and craft of understanding suffering, its causes, and its remedies. Its skillful practice is not limited to any one profession, geographic locale, historical period, or ethnic group. It does not require its practitioners to be of any particular religious or spiritual practice.

The phrase "medically qualified" as contained in section 5(2) of the Teaching Hospital Act which provides that the Chief Medical Director should be a person that is medically qualified. From all available definitions locally, nationally and internationally, we have discovered that the term medically qualified is defined as follows;
i. By American Legal Institute it is defined as (a) Physician, Physician Assistants, Nurses, Medical Technicians or any person who is recognized by American law as carrying blood and urine in the Hospital. American Legal Institute.
ii. Section 8(6) of the Teaching Hospital Act refers to medically qualified person namely; Medical Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists, Mid-Wives etc.
iii. The Mac Milan dictionary defines it as Medical Doctors, Nurses and other Medical workers. May be one will need to remove the word MEDICAL from medical lab science profession.

I would love to know who is more medically qualified between a physician who refuse to specialise or the one who specialised in wrong field and at the end of the day, all his entire role is to take medical history and guess who should be better called medical historian and others such as: Medical laboratory scientists whose roles according to MLSCN act no 11, 2003 involves the analysis of human tissues, body fluids, excretions, production of biologicals, design and fabrication of equipment for the purpose of medical lab diagnosis, treatment and research and includes medical microbiology, clinical chemistry, chemical pathology, haematology, blood transfusion science, virology, histopathology, histochemistry, immunology, cytogenetic, exfoliative cytology, parasitology, forensic science, molecular biology, laboratory management.

. A physician can only be guessing and waste many lives without the consultation of this professionals because the fight against diseases and ill health can only be won or lost in the medical laboratory.
. A Nurse, according to oxford concise medical dictionary is a person trained and experienced in nursing matters and entrusted with the care of the sick and the carrying out of medical and surgical routines. Please how can we remove the word medical and surgical from this definition? Not only that. Explain to me how a Physician knows how to care for the sick than this professional?
. A Pharmacist according to oxford concise medical dictionary is a person who is qualified by examination and registered and authorised to dispense medicines or to keep open a shop for the sale and dispensing of medicines. I need somebody to tell me how a Physician will claim to know about drugs more than this professionals who have acquired in-depth knowledge of pharmacodynamics, pharmacognosy, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, pharmacy? Optometrists are healthcare professionals who provide primary vision care ranging from sight testing and correction to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of vision changes.
. An optometrist is not a medical doctor. An optometrist receives a doctor of optometry (OD) degree after completing four years of optometry school, preceded by three years or more years of college. They are licensed to practice optometry, which primarily involves performing eye exams and vision tests, prescribing and dispensing corrective lenses, detecting certain eye abnormalities, and prescribing medications for certain eye diseases. Then I wonder why physicians are having serious headache over the word \"doctor\" of optometry. Radiographers take images of the insides of patients’ bodies to diagnose injury or disease. They also care for and treat people with cancer.
. Radiographers look after people who are unwell or in pain, and may be anxious or uncertain about what is going to happen. They use their wide range of skills and training to deliver a sensitive, patient-focused healthcare service in imaging and radiotherapy. Radiographers use high-tech, expensive equipment and are an important part of a large medical team.
. Physiotherapists help and treat people with physical problems caused by illness, accident or ageing. It sees human movement as central to the health and well-being of individuals and identify and maximise movement through health promotion, preventive healthcare, treatment and rehabilitation. A physiotherapist's core skills include manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and the application of electro-physical modalities. They also have an appreciation of psychological, cultural and social factors influencing their clients. And several other medical professionals with well defined roles that are not mentioned here.

The lazy ones blabbing among physicians are yet to see the storms coming as Nigeria government begins to appreciate the traditional and alternative healthcare providers.

The current leaders of JOHESU are not as resolute as their young members who will soon certainly get to the leadership positions.

By Olaoluwa Adeleke Olusegun (Oluomo)
An avid advocate for an egalitarian society

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