By Abujah Racheal
The Guild of Medical Laboratory Directors of Nigeria (GMLD) has urged the Federal Government to invest in local manufacturing of diagnostic reagents, consumables and equipment to cut import dependence.
The Guild made the call in a communiqué made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday at the end of its 28th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting held in Abuja from Sept. 15 to Sept. 19.
NAN reports that the theme of the conference was “From Diagnostic Sovereignty to Market Readiness: Building Nigeria’s End-to-End Diagnostics Ecosystem.
The event brought together more than 400 medical laboratory directors, policymakers, academics, industry stakeholders, regulators and development partners.
GMLD said Nigeria’s continued reliance on imported diagnostic products made the health system vulnerable to external disruptions, stressing the need to develop a sustainable, innovative and competitive domestic diagnostics industry.
It called for sustained efforts to promote indigenous manufacturing, technology transfer, research and innovation, while ensuring that locally produced diagnostic products met recognised standards for quality, analytical performance, safety and reliability.
The Guild also urged the government, financial institutions and development partners to provide appropriate financing, research grants, infrastructure support and investment incentives for local manufacturing and diagnostic innovation.
It said building diagnostic sovereignty did not mean isolating Nigeria or manufacturing every diagnostic product locally.
According to the Guild, diagnostic sovereignty involves strengthening the country’s capacity to determine its diagnostic needs, select appropriate technologies and regulate the sector.
It also includes assuring quality, generating and using data, maintaining resilient supply chains and making informed decisions without undue vulnerability to external disruptions.
GMLD further called for procurement systems that would create predictable and sustainable demand for quality-assured diagnostic products.
It said procurement decisions should balance affordability, quality, reliability, patient safety and value for money, rather than being based solely on the lowest price.
The Guild also advocated stronger collaboration among laboratories, manufacturers, academia, research institutions, regulators and government to support product development, validation, field evaluation and post-market assessment.
It called for an integrated national laboratory network to facilitate appropriate referral of patients and specimens, timely transmission of results and improved access to diagnostic services.
GMLD also urged the development of an integrated national laboratory information and data architecture linking public and private laboratories to support disease surveillance, quality monitoring, resource planning and evidence-based decision-making.
The Guild said Nigeria should also position its diagnostics industry to serve both domestic and African markets.
It called for a shift from repeated discussions on import dependence to measurable implementation, supported by clear responsibilities, realistic timelines, dedicated financing mechanisms and robust monitoring indicators.
GMLD reaffirmed its commitment to supporting policies, partnerships and practical initiatives to transform Nigeria’s diagnostic sector towards greater local capacity, innovation, sustainable markets and regional competitiveness.
The Guild said the ultimate goal of diagnostic sovereignty should be improved quality of care, enhanced patient safety and better health outcome for Nigerians. (NAN)
Edited by Dorcas Jonah