Sokoto, MLSCN to eradicate quackery in medical labs

Sokoto State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Balarabe Shehu Kakale, has stated that there is no room for quackery in the medical laboratories in the state. He has, therefore, urged the management of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) to join hands with his Ministry to eradicate the menace in the state.

Kakale, who made the call while receiving the Acting Registrar, MLSCN, Mr. Tosan Erhabor, at the Ministry in Sokoto, noted that under the leadership of the Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, quackery would no longer be tolerated in medical laboratory facilities because of its obvious harmful effect on the people. According to him, B.Sc and HND holders or others with similar qualifications should not be working in the medical laboratory as they had not been trained to do so. “We cannot condone quackery,” he said, adding: “If you are not a professional, trained specifically to work in the medical laboratory, but you decide to go and work there, that could also be suicidal considering that you might not know how to handle certain specimens that you may be exposed to. Therefore, you could easily be infected.”

The Commissioner recalled that a directive had been issued to the Ministry of Higher Education to stop posting polytechnic students to medical laboratories for Industrial Attachment. While pledging support for the Council’s efforts to stamp out quackery and ensure that medical laboratories performed up to expectation, Kakale also enjoined the MLSCN to help his Ministry advocate for more funding for the health sector particularly at the Federal Government level as the current budgetary allocation to the sector had not achieved much. “We have to work together, as no single person or group can do it alone. The Federal allocation to the health sector is a problem. Also, there are existing laws that have not been effectively implemented, including the National Health Act which, if fully implemented, could positively impact medical laboratory services,” he said.

In his own remarks, the MLSCN boss explained that the courtesy visit was in furtherance of the cordial relationship existing between the Council and the Sokoto State Government, especially the Ministry of Health. He urged the state to work with the Council towards eradicating quackery, which he described as the most virulent cankerworm militating against progress in the medical laboratory services sector in the country.