Korede Abdullah 
UYO, Nigeria – More than 1,000 members of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria in Akwa Ibom State have staged a peaceful protest against two proposed health reform bills currently before the National Assembly.
The protesters gathered in Uyo on Friday, describing the proposed reforms as dangerous and warning that they could weaken professional autonomy and compromise patient safety within Nigeria’s healthcare system.
AMLSN Chairman Ekerete Bassey says laboratory scientists will resist attempts to undermine the independence of the profession.
“Medical Laboratory Scientists operate through precision, not assumption,” Bassey says. “They must be allowed to exist in line with global and international best practices.”
The association specifically opposes HB 2701, which seeks amendments to the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria Act, and HB 2695, the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act Repeal and Re-enactment Bill 2026.
In a memorandum submitted to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, the group argues that the bills could expand political control over professional councils and introduce non-professionals into technical regulatory positions.
Senior Lecturer at the University of Uyo, Anthony Usoro, warns that the reforms could erode professional standards in specialised medical fields.
“Medical Laboratory Scientists are the oracle of medical practice. Without them, you cannot do anything,” Usoro says.
Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Nutrition and Food Security, Moses Essien, commends the peaceful demonstration and assures protesters that their concerns will receive legislative attention.
The protest ends with members unanimously rejecting the bills and calling for their reconsideration by the National Assembly.
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Oluwatobi Adu 
Hussaini Ibrahim 
