RE: RESTORING MICROBIOLOGY GRADUATES TO NIGERIA’S HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

By Dr. Kemzi Elechi-Amadi (BMLS, MSc, PhD, HMD, D.Th, AMLSCN)

An online post with the above heading has been circulating on several social media platforms, including some academic platforms. Ordinarily, one would have ignored it as obviously a cry of someone who desperately desires what he is not qualified to have, borne out of sheer ignorance. But, in the interest of the general public, and to set the records straight, it is important that this publication is made.

The author(s) of that social media post ignorantly stated that:

“Microbiology graduates, despite their specialised training in diagnosing infectious diseases, are systematically excluded from hospital laboratories, where Medical Laboratory Scientists (MLS) who have only taken Microbiology courses monopolise all roles, including Microbiology units.”

Firstly, no comparison exists between Medical Laboratory Science and Microbiology or any other discipline. Medical Laboratory Science is a globally recognised and regulated healthcare profession. There is no such status for Microbiology anywhere in the world. Again, the philosophy of Medical Laboratory Science and the globally recognised professional roles of Medical Laboratory Science are not shared with any other discipline or profession.

Graduates of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and related disciplines have been misled into thinking they have a role in hospital laboratory services. They also wrongly believe that Medical Laboratory Scientists only came into being in 2003 with the MLSCN Act 11 of 2003, and displaced them from hospital laboratories. This misconception has been passed down generationally, leading to unnecessary hostility against Medical Laboratory Scientists.

Historical Clarification: Training of Nigerian Medical Laboratory Scientists began with colonial structures—students did 2 years in Nigeria and 2 years in the UK (Medical Laboratory Science was originally a 4-year program). The Federal Military Government under Gen. Yakubu Gowon established the Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology of Nigeria (IMLTN) through Decree 56 of 1968, giving it the authority to regulate the training and practice of Medical Laboratory Science. The MLSCN Act of 2003 is merely an amendment, not the origin.

Hence, the claim that Medical Laboratory Science only began in 2003 is false. Medical Laboratory Scientists have never shared their scope of practice or hospital laboratories with any other profession.

Secondly, graduates of Microbiology have never been trained or licensed to practice Medical Laboratory Science—neither by Decree 56 of 1968 nor the MLSCN Act 11 of 2003. No country licenses multiple professions to practice the same regulated profession.

For example:
Would graduates of Physics, Chemistry, or Mathematics be allowed to practice as Engineers through COREN?
Would graduates of Philosophy be licensed as Lawyers because Lawyers study some Philosophy?
Likewise, would:
Would these graduates of Microbiology sincerely allow themselves to be taken to the theatre for surgery by graduates of Anatomy? Would these same graduates of Microbiology subject themselves to physiotherapy treatment by a graduate of Physiology or Physical Education? Can a graduate of a Pharmacology degree programme claim to be competent to perform the professional duties of a licensed Pharmacist?
Such arguments are illogical and dangerous.

Microbiology has subfields like:
Medical/Pharmaceutical Microbiology
Environmental Microbiology
Industrial Microbiology
Food Microbiology

Students in health professions study Medical Microbiology as part of their curriculum—e.g., MLS, Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Optometry, etc. That does not qualify Microbiology graduates to practice as MLS, just as it does not qualify them to practice in other clinical professions.

If Microbiologists demand access to hospital labs, they should also ask to be licensed to practice Pharmacy, Medicine, and Nursing, which is absurd.

MLS Training Summary:
Covers Basic Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Math)
Covers Medical Sciences (Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Pathology, Pharmacology)
Core clinical training in Haematology, Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology, Histopathology, etc.
Clinical postings from 300L to 500L
Professional exams, Internship, and NYSC
It takes 7 years to fully train and license a BMLS graduate—not comparable to a 4-year B.Sc. Microbiology degree from the Faculty of Science, with no clinical component.
Postgraduate specialisation (MSc, PhD, Fellowship) is also required for advanced practice in MLS. Anyone from another discipline who wants to become a Medical Laboratory Scientist must enrol in a BMLS programme and not take shortcuts.

On Demands for Inclusion and New Regulatory Council:
It is unwise and unprecedented to ask for a second regulatory council to practice the same profession.
There is no regulatory council for Microbiology anywhere in the world.
Nigeria must not be a “banana republic” permitting such confusion.
Relocating Microbiology departments to medical colleges does not make them medical professionals or change their training. It stems from an inferiority complex. And what happens to Microbiology departments in polytechnics or universities without medical colleges?
Such requests are baseless and unproductive.
Socioeconomic Realities:

Understandably, many science graduates face economic hardship.
Graduates of Biochemistry, Physiology, Anatomy, and Pharmacology also face the same.
Instead of asking for illegal inclusion into MLS, they should:
1. Advocate for industrial and research job creation.
2. Push for amendment of the NISLT Act to make Science Laboratory Technology a professional postgraduate pathway.
NISLT offers specialisations like Microbiology Technology, Biochemistry Technology, Pharmacology/Physiology Technology, etc.
This can equip graduates for roles in industry, research, and health technology.
3. Support the establishment of a Physician Associate Programme under MDCN for providing primary clinical care, like in the U.S., U.K., etc.
Microbiology and Biochemistry graduates could then be trained and licensed as Physician Associates, instead of pushing for roles they’re not qualified for.

Author: Dr. Kemzi Elechi-Amadi
(BMLS, MSc, PhD, HMD, D.Th, AMLSCN)
Writes from Port Harcourt, Nigeria