FG begins registration of medical laboratories

The Federal Government on Wednesday began an online registration of medical laboratories in Nigeria to enhance service delivery.

Dr Tosan Erhabor, the Registrar of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria made this known in Abuja at a meeting with stakeholders and the agency’s consultants on automation led by Prof. Effiong Akpan of the University of Calabar.

He called on stakeholders to avail themselves of the great opportunities offered by the new framework to enhance service delivery.

Erhabor said that the registration would scale up efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, speed of service delivery, as well as data collation and management.

He said that the purpose of the meeting was to enable stakeholders to witness firsthand and possibly critique the ongoing digitalisation of the medical laboratory registration process.

“This is the latest in the series of council processes to be moved from the manual to the digital platform.

“In spite of our meagre resources, the council has successfully transformed other processes including Licensure, Examination, Indexing, Accreditation Service, and External Quality Assurance and now the registration of medical laboratories,” he said.

Erhabor urged medical laboratory proprietors to continue working with the council to enhance service delivery.

He said that proprietors would henceforth be able to register their laboratories seamlessly and from their preferred locations without the need to visit the council’s headquarters in Abuja.

“I am pleased to note that automation has raised our profile among stakeholders, and we must commend the consultants for a job well done,” he said.

Responding, Akpan lauded the council management for scaling up hitherto manual processes into the digital environment to enhance service delivery despite the prevailing economic challenges.

“My team and I are proud to be associated with the council and we encourage other agencies should emulate you in this respect,” he said.

Akpan expressed confidence that the stakeholders would also be proud of the council’s efforts.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that in September 2022, the federal government threatened to shut down unregistered medical laboratories in the country.

The council was warned not to relent or rest on its oars in the discharge of its statutory duties.