By Ojoma Akor
The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) has rejected the new health amendment bills titled Executive HB:2701 and the related Senate Bill version, particularly their amendments to Sections 3 and 29 of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria Act.
Briefing newsmen Saturday in Abuja, the National President of AMLSN, Dr. Casmir Ifeanyi Casmir, said the bills do not represent reform and, if enacted, will compromise patient safety, undermine scientific governance in medical laboratories, and erode regulatory independence, trigger avoidable inter-professional conflict, and also create severe medico-legal uncertainty in Nigeria.
He said, “With respect to Section 3, what is being proposed is not an amendment but a fundamental distortion of the medical laboratory regulatory architecture in Nigeria. A governing board for the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), where the profession is reduced to token minority representation, where external and non-specialist interests dominate, and where appointments are largely politically mediated by the Honourable Minister of Health, cannot be described as a credible regulatory structure.
“It is, in effect, a political construct imposed on a medical laboratory scientific system. The argument that this improves professionalism or inclusivity is fundamentally flawed. Inclusivity or whatsoever cloaked bait without competence is institutional sabotage. Healthcare regulation must remain expert-driven, not politics or sentiment-driven.”
Dr. Casmir said that diluting the requirement for a Fellow of MLSCN to serve as Chairman introduces a silent but critical vulnerability.
He said it removes the guarantee of scientific and technical leadership, opens regulatory control to non-experts, and weakens accountability at the highest level, adding that leadership in a high-risk, medical-laboratory-science-dependent health system cannot be detached from expertise.
While saying that one cannot lead what one does not understand, he said that regulation without scientific and technical competence is not leadership.
Dr. Casmir also said that the inclusion of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria within the MLSCN Board structure is equally concerning.
According to him, this move violates professional autonomy, creates dual regulatory interference, and breaches global norms of independent professional councils.
He said, ” The suggestion that this promotes collaboration is misleading. Collaboration is not co-regulation. Globally, collaboration occurs at the level of practice rather than through regulatory capture. What is being proposed is not synergy, but structural overreach and professional capture.
“Turning to Section 29, the Bill presents a dangerous contradiction. It broadly defines Medical Laboratory Science, yet explicitly removes the authority to make diagnostic contributions. This is scientifically incoherent and legally defective. Over 70 percent of clinical decisions depend on medical laboratory-generated evidence. Medical Laboratory Scientists generate, validate, and authenticate diagnostic data. To exclude them from diagnosis is to separate scientific evidence from its ownership, thereby institutionalizing confusion. This will inevitably result in legal ambiguity, clinical delays, and increased patient risk. ”
He highlighted that the association condemns the legislative manoeuvre in Section 8(g-j) of HB:2695, which seeks to repeal and re-enact the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act (MDPA) 2026.
He said, “This is not reform: it is a calculated, stealth-driven copy and paste incursion, audaciously attempting to smuggle the core pillars of Medical Laboratory Science, including molecular diagnostics, cytogenetics, assisted reproductive technologies, embryo manipulation, genetic testing, and paternity analysis into a framework where they neither belong nor are competently represented. Internationally, the MDPA governs only medical and dental practice standards and qualifications; this Amendment Bill represents professional subsumption and legislative overreach, flagrantly disregarding statutory mandates, internationally established professional boundaries, and patient safety. Such reckless intrusion into specialized domains threatens Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system and national health security. This will not stand.”
He further said, “We therefore call for the immediate withdrawal, outright rejection, and expunction of these provisions forthwith, to preserve the integrity of Nigeria’s healthcare system and uphold the sanctity of medical laboratory practice. These are not peripheral matters; they are foundational disciplines governed globally by standards such as ISO 15189:2022. ”
He added that the proposed amendment risks creating statutory conflict, judicial inconsistency, and regulatory instability. “While it is true that the legislature has the authority to amend laws, such amendments must not contradict established science, destabilize existing jurisprudence, or International Standards. A law that conflicts with both science and judicial precedent does not reform; it disrupts and destroys. “
The national implications are profound, he said, adding, ” If enacted, this Bill will weaken medical laboratory regulation and accreditation systems, disrupt ISO 15189:2022 compliance, undermine disease surveillance mechanisms, and erode Nigeria’s global health credibility. These are not speculative concerns; they are predictable consequences grounded in regulatory science and global best practices.”
The association also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly to halt all processes concerning the bills.
“All legislative action on HB:2701 must be immediately suspended to allow for inclusive stakeholder consultation, rigorous technical review, and proper alignment with global scientific standards,” AMLSN said.
