By Chioma Obinna & Gabriel Olawale

LAGOS -The five-day industrial action by Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, AMLSN, Tuesday, took a violent dimension, as AMLSN members, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, LUTH, Chapter drove away resident doctors, alleged to have taken over the laboratory and blood bank in the hospital.

Meanwhile, Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Akin Osibogun, has appealed to striking laboratory scientists to moderate their actions for the sake of humanity as the hospital would not be stopped by anyone from saving the lives of its patients.

It was gathered that trouble started when a group of resident doctors, suspected to be pathology students, were sighted by striking AMLSN members, taking samples from patients in the laboratory and the blood bank.

Apparently, to ensure compliance with the strike, members of the association, who were at their duty posts without attending to patients, tried to disrupt activities at the laboratory but were prevented by the management of the hospital.

LUTH Chairman of the association, Mr Samuel Adeyeloja, who spoke to Vanguard alleged that the management of the hospital was using their executive powers to suppress the implementation of the Medical Laboratory Science Scheme of Service.

He said: “LUTH management is biased towards the medical doctors. They favour laboratory residents and consultant pathologists over medical laboratory Scientists.”

Reacting, Prof Osibogun in a telephone chat, warned the aggrieved scientists not to be violent and allow those ready to save lives to do so.