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Health Tourism: Laboratory Council to save $2bn on foreign diagnosis annually – Registrar
- November 12, 2023
- Posted by: Admin
- Category: Health Health tips National Health Daily News update

The Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) is set to initiate plans that could potentially save Nigeria a significant sum of $2 billion annually, currently spent by citizens seeking qualitative diagnoses abroad.
Dr. Tosan Erhabor, the Registrar of MLSCN, announced this initiative during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bloom Public Health, a non-governmental organization (NGO), in Abuja.
The partnership between MLSCN and Bloom Public Health aims to transform the healthcare sub-sector, ensuring accurate and reliable test results. The collaboration intends to address poor health indices in the country, discouraging health tourism and retaining funds spent abroad.
Dr. Erhabor highlighted the partnership’s significance in enhancing healthcare quality, with a particular focus on capacity building for medical laboratory professionals at the primary healthcare level.
The collaboration seeks to leverage Bloom’s continental reach, experience in donor-funded projects, and technical expertise, combined with MLSCN’s institutional base and network of scientists.
The immediate focus of the partnership is the upscaling of laboratory capacities at the primary healthcare level. Prof. Chimezie Anyakaora, Executive Officer of Bloom Public Health, emphasized the importance of the partnership in enhancing the country’s laboratory system, bringing in expertise through various training programs.
Dr. Donald Ofili, Director and Deputy Registrar of the council, emphasized the lack of human resources and infrastructure in the country’s health system. He expressed optimism that the partnership would contribute to positive changes in the current health indices in Nigeria through capacity building and improved healthcare accessibility, especially at the primary healthcare level.