• Tinubu ignored calls to sack me, asked for more roads, says Umahi
• Nigeria has talents but lacks enabling environment, says don

Medical Laboratory Scientists have warned of the dangers of delays in implementing key federal government decisions in the health sector.

The group, under the aegis of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN), stated that the inability to implement certain critical healthcare decisions effectively is weakening healthcare governance, workforce development, and service delivery across the country.   National President of the Association, Dr Casmir Ifeanyi, therefore, appealed to President Bola Tinubu to prioritise reforms affecting medical laboratory practice, including the reconstitution of regulatory boards, the approval of new professional programmes, and the inclusion of laboratory services in national health interventions.
 
He particularly urged the President to assent to the bill establishing the Federal University of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology, Jos, describing the proposed institution as a major policy milestone that would strengthen education, research, innovation and healthcare development in Nigeria.

These were part of the resolutions reached at the end of its 19th annual public health lecture and National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, held in Enugu,
 
AMLSN also commended the Federal Government for appointing Dr Donald Ibeh Ofili as the substantive Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), saying the move would reinforce professional regulation, quality assurance, workforce development and patient safety.
 
It expressed concern over what it described as the prolonged delay in reconstituting the Governing Board of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria and other health regulatory boards, warning that the situation has weakened oversight, delayed policy implementation and disrupted accreditation and certification processes.

Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, Prof. Ebunoluwa Adejuyigbe, has said Nigeria is endowed with brilliant minds but lacks the enabling environment needed to nurture and retain its vast pool of talents, a situation she said continues to fuel brain drain and undermine the country’s global competitiveness in science and innovation.

Prof. Adejuyigbe made this remark while responding to questions about Nigeria’s participation in international Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programmes after receiving a leadership recognition award from Cred 360 Media Limited in her office in Ondo City.

Cred 360 Media Limited, a full-service media, public relations, and advertising agency based in Ibadan, had given the Distinguished Leadership Award in Medical Education to the Vice-Chancellor.
 
The VC said the country has no shortage of gifted young people capable of excelling globally, stressing that the major challenge lies in weak institutional support, inadequate infrastructure and poor implementation of merit-based policies.
 
He lamented that many outstanding Nigerian scientists, researchers, and innovators continue to relocate abroad in search of better opportunities due to poor infrastructure and limited support for research and development.