The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists Council of Nigeria (AMLSCN) has called on President Goodluck Jonathan not to assent to the National Health Bill as passed by the National Assembly.
In an interview with LEADERSHIP WEEKEND, the chairman of AMLSCN, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter, Dr. Ifeanyi Casmir, warned that if President Jonathan assented to the bill as passed by the National Assembly, it would spell doom for the health sector in the country.
“President Jonathan has taken the best action by withholding the assent to the National Health Bill. This action by the president is in the best interest of Nigerians. This is because assenting to that bill as passed by the National assembly means that Nigerians and the general public would be short changed,” he said.
Dr. Ifeanyi alleged that the National Health Bill was prepared in favour of medical doctors in the country without the input of other professionals in the health sector, adding that medical doctors alone, anywhere in the world, cannot provide health care delivery services.
He argued that if he bill is signed into law by the president it would generate a lot of bureaucratic problems, which according to him, would lead to bloated services in governance, a situation the system might not be prepared to handle.
The laboratory scientist advised that the various professional groups in the health care sector in Nigeria should be allowed to exhibit themselves to the fullest, without any form of restriction or frustration, because by so doing, the health sector would lose its best hands.