Rewarding excellence in medical laboratory science practice in Nigeria

•ISN honours Friday Odum from University of Calabar with N1m cash, capacity development training, donation of medical lab equipment/reagents worth N1m

Managing Director, ISN Products Nigeria Limited, Mr. Felix Ofungwu, has promised to honour, acknowledge and encourage medical laboratory scientists in Nigeria.

Ofungwu at the second edition of ISN Medical Laboratory Scientist of the Year Award ceremony at Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, on November 26, said the company has helped advanced the cause of medical laboratory science practice by celebrating unsung heroes and gifting them awards and mouthwatering prizes for their invaluable role in delivering quality healthcare in Nigeria.

According to Ofungwu, the award is designed to reward quality practices and excellence among medical laboratory scientists, while promoting the development of medical laboratory science in Nigeria.

He said: “Tonight is another attempt to integrate ourselves with the people who are in the lab and those who are not in the lab or institution but are in private business. We are all in this together; meaning, we are all trying to find out best lab practices in the country. Again, we are concentrating on the quality of lab results because we want to create an impression that lab results coming from Nigeria is as good as lab results coming from anywhere else.”

Commissioner for Health in Lagos State, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said Lagos is collaborating with ISN medical products due to its knack for quality.

Abayomi, who was represented by Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) Lagos branch chairman, Mr. Tajudeen Olatunji, said the commissioner for health did a very good job during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lagos State, and should be applauded.

Friday Odum, a medical laboratory scientist and a graduate of the University of Calabar, Cross River State, emerged ISN medical laboratory scientist of the year, beating nine other top finalists to walk away with the coveted prize of: N1,000,000; a capacity development training; a donation of medical lab equipment/reagents worth N1,000,000 to where he works.

Odum thanked ISN for the prize and encouraged other scientists to keep up their respective good works because they will be the one in his position at the next grand finale of the ISN Medical Laboratory Scientist of the Year Award 2022.

The event was well attended by several dignitaries, stakeholders, government functionaries, and medical professionals from the health sector including officials of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN), Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) as well as Young Medical Laboratory Scientists’ Forum.

The ISN Medical Laboratory Scientist of the Year Award is an initiative put together by ISN Products Nigeria Limited to reward excellence in the practice of medical laboratory science in Nigeria.