The Lagos State College of Health Technology, School of Medical Laboratory Technicians, Yaba, has inducted 85 trained medical laboratory technicians into the medical laboratory profession, tasking the graduands on ethical conduct.

The provost of the college, Raheem Akewushola, gave the advice at the 12th Orientation and Oath-Taking Ceremony for the 2025 and 2026 graduating classes of the institution on Thursday in Lagos.

The event had the theme “Laboratory Quality and Diagnostic Accuracy: Keys to Sustainable Care.”

Mr Akewushola said the 85 graduands were equipped with the requisite knowledge and practical skills to perform their duties professionally.

To the graduands, he urged them to uphold professionalism, accuracy, integrity and ethical conduct in their careers.

“Precise diagnosis is very critical to healthcare delivery. The graduands have been trained to understand that credibility, validity, accuracy and precision in their practice have significant implications for healthcare delivery.

“We are confident that they will be good ambassadors of the college and the medical laboratory science profession,” he said.

The keynote speaker at the programme, Toyosi Raheem, urged the graduands to see their induction as the beginning of greater achievements.

Mr Akewushola, a professor of public health microbiology and molecular biology at City Lead University, Ibadan, Oyo State, said that medical laboratory technicians played vital roles in disease diagnosis, surveillance, public health, blood banking, research and quality assurance.

He stressed the importance of teamwork in healthcare, noting that doctors, pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists, technicians, nurses and other professionals must work together with the patient at the centre of care.

He called for measures to address the migration of health professionals, otherwise known as “Japa,” listing the possible interventions to include increased training quotas, improved funding, better welfare packages and enhanced remuneration.

“Coming out of Lagos State College of Health Technology today is the beginning of higher heights for you. This should just be the beginning of better things you need to achieve in life,” Mr Akewushola said.

The Dean of Medical Laboratory Technicians at the college, Vivien Adekoya, reiterated that diagnostic quality and accuracy were fundamental to medical laboratory practice.

Ms Adekoya described the graduates as agents of change and ambassadors of the institution, urging them to embrace continuous learning, new technologies and modern laboratory techniques to improve their competence.

She urged the government to provide modern equipment and quality reagents while supporting continuous training for medical laboratory professionals.

“Medical laboratory results have a major role to play in the decision-making of any patient.

“If we make mistakes in diagnosis, there will automatically be mistakes in the treatment of the patient, hence the need for continuous training of the laboratory scientists and provision of modern equipment to aid their operations,” she said.

Similarly, the Registrar of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN), Donald Ofili, said the council had intensified monitoring of laboratories across the country to curb quackery and ensure that Nigerians received quality laboratory services.

Represented by Simon Bukar, Head of the South-West Office, MLSCN, Mr Ofili urged the graduands to uphold high ethical standards and pursue continuous professional development.

“We will ensure that there is no hiding place for quacks in our midst so that Nigerians get the required value and quality of whatever services they paid for,” he said. 

(NAN)