Complete internship before NYSC, council tells graduates

Entrance to Fountain University

The Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria has inducted 43 medical laboratory science graduates of Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun State, warning them against skipping the compulsory one-year internship programme.

The Registrar of the council, Dr Donald Ofili, who spoke at the institution’s third oath-taking ceremony in Osogbo on Saturday, urged the inductees to maintain professional standards wherever they found themselves.

He noted that medical laboratory science remained a pillar of the healthcare system.

Ofili, who was represented by Dr Akinwale Akinlabi, said the conduct of the inductees would be monitored by the MLSCN to preserve professional integrity and protect public health in line with the council’s current reform agenda.

“From today, you stand as custodians of accuracy and reliability in the practice of Medical Laboratory Science, the pillar upon which almost the entire healthcare system rests. About 70 per cent of the indices required for clinical decisions emanate from the medical laboratory. We still watch the patient long after the clinic has closed.

“However, dear inductees, please remember that your next step is the internship programme, which you must complete successfully and obtain a full practising licence before enrolling for the National Youth Service Corps.

“Failure to do so amounts to quackery. MLSCN requires that you engage in continuous professional development as a condition for licence renewal and as evidence of your dynamism in a rapidly advancing world of science,” he added.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Fountain University, Prof. Ramota Karim, said the programme had consistently recorded a 100 per cent success rate in professional examinations since 2024.

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She disclosed that the university had completed a dedicated Medical Laboratory Science Complex comprising four laboratory units, each with a capacity of 100 students, to strengthen practical training.

Karim, who appreciated parents for their sacrifices, urged the inductees to be good ambassadors of the university wherever they found themselves.

Delivering the induction lecture titled “Beyond the Test: The Evolution of Medical Laboratory Science in Modern Healthcare,” Prof. Oluyemi Akinloye of the University of Lagos, represented by Prof. Oloruntoba Ekun, urged the inductees to uphold integrity and collaborate with other professionals in the best interests of patients.

The PUNCH had earlier reported that the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria, Dr Donald Ofili, assured Nigerians that the council would continue to promote reliable laboratory test results, strengthen patient safety and sustain reforms aimed at deepening public confidence in the country’s healthcare system.

Ofili gave the assurance in Abuja while receiving the leadership of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria and elders of the profession during a courtesy visit.

According to him, the council remained committed to strengthening quality assurance and laboratory regulation to ensure that Nigerians received accurate diagnostic services that supported effective treatment and better health outcomes.