Abide by the ethics of the profession – MLSCN Registrar urges new inductees
The Registrar/ CEO MLSCN, Dr Tosan Erhabor has urged foreign graduates of Medical Laboratory Science to abide by the ethics of the profession as practiced in Nigeria. He made the call during the 7th induction ceremony of 339 foreign trained Medical Laboratory Science graduates at Council’s headquarters in Abuja on May 11, 2022.
The Registrar reiterated the importance of the re-training programme which, he noted, was aimed at familiarizing the inductees with the Nigerian health system that they were seeking to join, adding that most of the graduands had trained in countries with environments markedly different from Nigeria and such made a strong case for the 12 month re-training program, which commenced in 2017.
Erhabor, nonetheless, reiterated the commitment of MLSCN a further review the programme to achieve the desired goal of making quality medical laboratory diagnosis available to Nigerians. “We will continue to review the programme’s content and activities from time to time to ensure that it continues to fulfil its potential,” he said.
The Registrar therefore advised them to always upgrade themselves by acquiring new skills, which he said “will help you in future as some us at the helm of affairs prepare to hand over to your generation”.
He, therefore, applauded the foresight of the President/Founder, Mariam Abacha University Maradi, Niger Republic, which is the first bilingual University in Sub Saharan Africa, Prof Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo for his foresight, as most of the inductees were trained in his institution, promising that MLSCN will partner with the institution in areas of technical expertise to further strengthen its training programs.
In his remarks, the Chairman, MLSCN Governing Board, Prof Muhammad Yelwa Gwarzo expressed appreciation to the Special Guest of Honour for his immense contributions to the growth of various professions in Nigeria, especially Medical Laboratory Science, adding: “You have done so well by establishing the first bilingual University and also in your philanthropic endeavours.” He, therefore, urged him not to relent in his good works, while encouraging the inductees to use their prerequisite training to fight quackery, which he described as one of the enemies of the Medical Laboratory Science profession.
Meanwhile, the Special Guest of Honor, while appreciating MLSCN for inviting to the occasion, urged the regulator to encourage Medical Laboratory Science students to acquire a second language to gain competitive advantage in the international labour market. He noted that there were a lot of vacancies in the international labour market, but Nigerians were not befitting much because due to language limitation.
The Induction Lecture was delivered by Dr Osaretin Agbonlahor, also of the Council, who took the inductees through the prerequisites for effective professionalism in Medical Laboratory Science.
