The Nigeria health system which has been plagued by needless crises. Such crises are derive from the unbridled ambition of certain categories of health worker to assuming the role that is doubtfully beyond naturally allowable and morally acceptable. There are repeated episodes of 'supremacy' violence associated with her members in a bid to take law into there hands in some teaching hospitals in Nigeria, a behaviours strongly frown at in the Nigeria Civil Service rules. If a particular workforce is associated with a particular nauseating trait then it maybe time to review the training and orientation of such category of work force.
Wikipedia defined a medical laboratory scientist (MLS) (also referred to as a clinical laboratory scientist or medical laboratory technologist) as a healthcare professional who performs chemical, hematological, immunologic, histopathological, cytopathological, microscopic, and bacteriological diagnostic analyses on body fluids such as blood, urine, sputum, stool, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), peritoneal fluid, pericardial fluid, and synovial fluid, as well as other specimens. Medical laboratory scientists work in clinical laboratories at hospitals, physician's offices, reference labs, biotechnology labs and non-clinical industrial labs(emphasis the author).
According to Wikipedia, Pathology "is a branch of medical science primarily concerning the examination of organs, tissues, and bodily fluids in order to make a diagnosis of disease". Therefore a pathologist is a specialist in pathology. This is divided in clinical chemistry, medical microbiology, haematology and Morbid anatomy and histopathologist.
It would be established from these definitions that both categories of health worker work on the same 'tool' and they both work in medical laboratories. Just as doctors and nurses in the same ward 'work' on the same patients. The doctors would not chase the nurses away and vice versa. It is working relationship that has to be sustained to ensure excellent outcome for patients.
According to Wikipedia, Pathology "is a branch of medical science primarily concerning the examination of organs, tissues, and bodily fluids in order to make a diagnosis of disease". Therefore a pathologist is a specialist in pathology. This is divided in clinical chemistry, medical microbiology, haematology and Morbid anatomy and histopathologist.
It would be established from these definitions that both categories of health worker work on the same 'tool' and they both work in medical laboratories. Just as doctors and nurses in the same ward 'work' on the same patients. The doctors would not chase the nurses away and vice versa. It is working relationship that has to be sustained to ensure excellent outcome for patients.
Although Nigeria practitioner of MLS have decided to choose the seemly glamourous name ''MLS' especially because the inclusion of the word 'medical' the descriptive term is same as medical laboratory technologists. The Medical Laboratory Scientists (MLS) in Nigeria were Medical Laboratory Technologist(MLT) which really is what it is even in Nigeria until a few years ago. However since anything goes in Nigeria, they were able to dubiously metamorphose to a 'status' that they want to do away with pathologists and their needed leadership in the medical laboratories in Nigeria. They want to change from the globally acceptable pattern of both pathologist and MLS working in the laboratory and the former providing the needed leadership derived from their training. The question is should professional group merely get legally reassignment from globally acceptable job description and seeking to put into disarray the normal order in our teaching hospitals?
The MLS in Nigeria is on the same status as Medical Laboratory technologist anywhere in the world any judiciary assignment would be be alien to international best practices. Would it be morally right for Judiciary officers get legal injunctions that turn them into lawyers overnight? In US,Canada, France and UK our dear MLS are equivalent of Medical laboratory technologist- MLT.
To further explore these issue it would be necessary to examine the international health work force classifications.
Continue: Streamlining Health workforce in Nigeria 2
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The MLS in Nigeria is on the same status as Medical Laboratory technologist anywhere in the world any judiciary assignment would be be alien to international best practices. Would it be morally right for Judiciary officers get legal injunctions that turn them into lawyers overnight? In US,Canada, France and UK our dear MLS are equivalent of Medical laboratory technologist- MLT.
To further explore these issue it would be necessary to examine the international health work force classifications.
Continue: Streamlining Health workforce in Nigeria 2
