By Providence Ayanfeoluwa

Nigeria’s heavy dependence on imported diagnostic products is exposing the country’s healthcare system to supply vulnerabilities, with medical laboratory scientists calling for urgent investment in local manufacturing and stronger regulation to safeguard health security.

The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, AMLSN, Lagos State Branch, raised the concern at the end of its 61st yearly scientific conference with the theme, ‘Global Innovation in Laboratory Medicine: Sustaining Global Best Practices for Better Health Outcomes in Nigeria,’ held in Lagos, where experts identified Nigeria’s reliance on imported in-vitro diagnostic products as a major weakness in the country’s health system.

The association said Nigeria currently imports between 95 and 99 per cent of its in-vitro diagnostic products, a situation it said could undermine the availability and reliability of essential diagnostic commodities, particularly during health emergencies and global supply disruptions.

Consequently, AMLSN called for the development of a phased national strategy for the local production of diagnostic products as part of measures to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign supplies and build domestic capacity.

Speaking on the import dependence, the conference chairman and Managing Director of ISN Medical, Felix Ofungwu, said the situation had exposed Nigeria to vulnerabilities in the supply of essential diagnostic commodities.

He stressed the need for the country to build domestic capacity rather than continue to rely overwhelmingly on foreign products.

Ofungwu also called for sustained domestic funding for genomic surveillance, particularly as Nigeria continues to confront infectious disease threats and the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance.

The association urged the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) and relevant government authorities to strengthen quality governance for point-of-care testing and institutionalise funding for laboratory accreditation.

It said diagnostic accuracy and reliability remained central to effective healthcare delivery, warning that weaknesses in laboratory systems could have wider implications for disease detection, treatment and public health responses.

AMLSN also raised concerns over the rapid emergence of digital and artificial intelligence-driven healthcare technologies, saying the pace of innovation was creating regulatory gaps within Nigeria’s diagnostic system.

The association called for urgent action to address regulatory uncertainties surrounding tele-laboratory and digital diagnostic services, noting that Nigeria does not yet have a unified Digital Health Act.

It further demanded the ethical integration of artificial intelligence into laboratory practice, while recognising the technology’s potential to significantly improve diagnostic efficiency.

At the conference, an AI-assisted diagnostic platform was demonstrated, with organisers reporting that it reduced the time required for leukaemia classification from several days to about two hours.

However, AMLSN stressed that technological advancement must be accompanied by appropriate regulation, quality control and investment in skilled professionals to ensure that emerging technologies are safely and effectively deployed.

On manpower development, the association called for expanded postgraduate training and mentorship pipelines for Medical Laboratory Scientists to address specialist capacity gaps in the profession.

The call received support from the Lagos State University (LASU), with the Dean of its School of Postgraduate Studies, Prof. Ibrahim Olateju, announcing the university’s readiness to engage formally with AMLSN towards establishing postgraduate programmes in Medical Laboratory Science.

The association also renewed its opposition to the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (Amendment) Bill, HB 2701, and the Medical and Dental Practitioners (Amendment) Bill, HB 2695.

According to AMLSN, the proposed legislation could undermine the statutory independence of MLSCN and weaken Nigeria’s laboratory accreditation standards.

Beyond laboratory regulation, the scientists called on the Federal Government to strengthen the security of healthcare workers amid continuing reports of abductions of medical personnel in parts of the country.

They also demanded that diagnostic and laboratory services be explicitly incorporated into the Basic Minimum Package of Health Services funded under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.

AMLSN linked the demands to broader public health priorities, including viral hepatitis elimination, disease surveillance, antimicrobial resistance response and pandemic preparedness.

The association noted that Nigeria’s experience with COVID-19 genomic sequencing had demonstrated the importance of strong laboratory capacity during public health emergencies, urging the government to sustain and build on the gains recorded during the pandemic.

The resolutions followed three days of technical discussions on point-of-care testing, artificial intelligence and digital laboratory medicine, local diagnostic manufacturing, genomic surveillance, quality systems, regulation and diagnostic investment.

The communiqué was signed by the AMLSN Lagos State Branch Chairman, Kabiawu Adegboyega; Vice Chairman and Conference Planning Committee Chairman, Dr Uba Benjamin; Secretary, Morounke Mannie-Udoh; and Publicity Secretary, Adeleke Olaoluwa.