The Guild of Medical Laboratory Directors has expressed deep concern over the country’s dependence on imported diagnostic reagents, which are the backbone of modern medicine, essential for accurate diagnosis, monitoring and treatment.
The National President of the GMLD, Dr. Samuel Fele, made the complaint at the 27th Annual Scientific Conference of the Medical Laboratory Directors held at the Afficent Event Centre in Kano on Wednesday.
He lamented that as a result of the ugly trend, billions of the country’s scarce foreign resources are being expended to import these materials which Nigeria has the knowledge, capacity and expertise to produce in the country.
“Year after year, billions of our scarce foreign resources are expended to import over 70% to 80% of these materials which we have the knowledge, capacity and expertise to produce in the country,” he said.
He said Nigeria needs to learn a lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic when flights were grounded, borders shut and our laboratories were left stranded unable to import necessary reagents for diagnosis.
“This is not just an economic issue alone, it is a matter of national security and survival. It exposes us to global supply chain disruptions as we witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It undermines our economic sovereignty and limits opportunities for our Medical Laboratory Scientists, industries and entrepreneurs. So, how long shall we remain at the mercy of others for what we can produce ourselves?
“We have the wherewithal, knowledge, expertise and technical know-how needed as we do not need to re-invent the wheel; these reagents were once being massively produced in this country for local consumption in the 80s and early 90s,” he said.
He added, “This is not a call for isolation from the global community but rather it is a call for self-reliance, sustainability and national pride, while remaining open to international cooperation.
He said that this year’s theme “From Import Dependency to Indigenous Solutions: Strengthening Nigeria’s Diagnostic Sovereignty” promises to be a game changer in the approach and delivery of world standard medical laboratory service to Nigerians.
In his remarks while declaring the conference opened, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf appreciated the GLMD for holding the conference in Kano stressing that it’s the first time the conference was held in the core north.
The Governor represented by the Commissioner of Health, Dr. Abubakar labaran, expressed the government’s readiness to partner with the GLMD with a view to enhancing the provision of healthcare services in the state.
“We call on the Federal Government to create a gateway for the association to access special funds to upgrade the laboratories in the country,” he added.
