The Federal School of Medical Laboratory Science Technology (FSMLST), Jos, Plateau State, has the necessary facilities to support the fellowship programme of West Africa Post-Graduate College of Medical Laboratory Science (WAPCMLS).
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President of WAPCMLS, Prof. Nafiu Amidu, who is also the leader of the accreditation team to assess facilities available in FSMLST to support the training of fellowship programme, disclosed this recently.

“We have been going round since morning to look at facilities available. We have seen what is available at AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (APIN) Centre and Human Virology Laboratory Centre of FSMLST, as well as facilities at the Plateau State Specialist Hospital.

“So far, we are impressed by what we saw, and believe that the basic facilities to support the minimum training look feasible. We would submit our report and I believe that the Council would give its final approval,” Amidu said.

The don said approval of the centre would enhance the mobilisation of human resources at the highest level to support the diagnostic need of West Africa.

He said: “Since the centre is going to support the training of medical laboratory scientists within the West Africa sub-region, we would not be running helter-skelter to mobilise human resources to support the diagnostic need of the sub-region, especially regarding emerging diseases like the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and other diseases.”

“You would agree with me that it would be a fruitless effort if Nigeria has the capacity and its neighbouring countries do not. It is for this reason that it became imperative to build capacity across the sub-region to ensure significant progress.”
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According to the president, the centre is going to put the college and the supporting facilities in the limelight. After a tour of facilities, Provost of FSMLST, Dr. Obong Etukudoh, told journalists it was a dream had 12 years ago coming to fruition. He extended his appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Health, Dr. Enahire Osagie, saying they did not fail the country.

“In 2010, the Federal Ministry of Health gave a policy directive that the institution should initiate and commence the training of medical laboratory scientists at fellowship level. We were wondering how it would be done because all these while, it was done by the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN). Moreso, the Act for the establishment of that particular function of the training was wobbling at the National Assembly.

“But with the good leadership of President Buhari and effective representation of National Assembly members from this constituency, the Act establishing FSMLST, with all the paraphernalia, was passed and assented to in 2018. I must also thank the President and Minister of Health for prompting the infrastructure that are in place, including those that were abandoned since 1983. So you can see that we have built infrastructure alongside human resources,” Etukudoh said.

The Provost added that the approval would improve the economy, considering that the training would attract foreigners.
His words: “In addition, the expertise received by Nigerians in medical laboratory science would be needed outside the shores of this country, thereby, earning foreign exchange for the country.”

Expressing delight over the infrastructure in place, the National President, Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN), Prof. James Damen, also a member of the accreditation team, said students from other parts of West Africa would, hopefully, be in Jos to study.

“That is the vision. We want to build human capacity in medical laboratory science profession to eliminate medical tourism. Everyday, Nigerians go outside the country to access medical care, and one of the reasons they always give is that they don’t trust the diagnosis we offer. Bringing this centre is to build high quality medical laboratory personnel where they can give qualitative diagnosis like what obtains across the world,” he said.

Damen noted that the gesture was in support of the Federal Government’s passion about building a robust health care sector.
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“That is why President Buhari has gone ahead to also set up the Presidential Health Reform Team to come up with suggestions on how government can reposition the health sector in Nigeria.

“With this, I believe that he would support the institution with all it will take to ensure that this programme starts immediately. Once we start, students from the Francophone, Anglophone and Portuguese countries will come. One challenge that faces the programme is translating it to other languages than English,” he asserted.

Having the FSMLST as centre for WAPCMLS has been among the key agenda of the Etukudoh-led administration, The Guardian gathered; hence the provost embarked on massive infrastructure development in the last five years, making the health minster to visit Jos on two occasions for the commissioning of the projects.

Preparations are currently on top gear for the commissioning of another set of projects before the end of the year.
FSMLST has equally entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with APIN in Jos University teaching Hospital (JUTH), Plateau Specialist Hospital, Human Virology Centre and other health institutions to augment its facilities.
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