Medical laboratory scientists vow to tackle national health security threats 

Speaking at the 60th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the association in Owerri, the AMLSN President, Dr. Casmir Ifeanyi, stressed the need for urgent action to address these challenges.

He noted that while resources are being mobilized for kinetic approaches to physical security, a lot needed to be done to address national health security.

Ifeanyi described health security as the bedrock of national security and called on President Bola Tinubu to assemble health experts for insight into national health security issues.

“There are many conversations about mobilisation of resources for kinetic approach to national security but the conversations about national health security, which is the bedrock of national security, has become compromised.

“A security meeting by the National Security Adviser should have health security experts in attendance to provide insight into national health security threats,” he said.

Describing medical laboratory scientists as vital contributors to healthcare, Ifeanyi stated that as the second critical stakeholder of health globally, medical laboratory scientists provide over 70 percent of the data required for medical decisions and over 80 percent of data required for medical planning.

“As a nation, we must strengthen our laboratory services, by strengthening collaborations between contingent states and improving investments in medical laboratory research,” he said.

The AMLSN President also addressed the challenge of medical brain drain confronting the country.

He described it as “a violation of public service rules by the government, which only tends to frustrate rather than discourage”. 

He urged the adoption of a more holistic and people-friendly approach to addressing brain drain, aligned with existing laws.