Conference Rebuttal — NAFDAC Press Release of 13 August 2026
CONFERENCE REBUTTAL: NAFDAC PRESS RELEASE ON REGULATORY OVERSIGHT OF
BLOOD AND BLOOD PRODUCTS IN NIGERIA
Position: Respect for statutory mandates, professional jurisdiction and patient safety
The recent press release issued by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), dated 13 August 2026, titled “NAFDAC Strengthens Regulatory Oversight of Blood and Blood Products to Safeguard Public Health,” has generated serious professional and statutory concerns within the Medical Laboratory Science profession.
We welcome every genuine effort aimed at improving the safety, quality, availability and efficacy of blood and
blood products in Nigeria. Patient safety must remain the common objective of every health regulatory institution.
However, we strongly reject any interpretation or implementation of the pronouncement that seeks to assume
exclusive or overriding regulatory control over professional Medical Laboratory Science practice, blood
transfusion science practice, Medical Laboratory Scientists or medical laboratory facilities.
1. THE LAW IS CLEAR: BLOOD TRANSFUSION SCIENCE IS PART OF MEDICAL
LABORATORY SCIENCE
The Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria Act No. 11 of 2003 is the principal statute establishing and
regulating the professional practice of Medical Laboratory Science in Nigeria. Section 29 of the Act expressly
defines Medical Laboratory Science and specifically includes blood transfusion science among the recognised branches of the profession.
2. SECTION 4 OF THE MLSCN ACT GIVES THE COUNCIL A REGULATORY MANDATE
Section 4 of Act No. 11 of 2003 assigns the Council functions including regulating the practice of Medical
Laboratory Science; determining standards of knowledge and skills; regulating training; maintaining professional registers; regulating diagnostic laboratory reagents and chemicals; and inspecting, regulating and accrediting medical laboratories. These are statutory responsibilities. NAFDAC cannot, by administrative declaration or press release, erase or transfer statutory responsibilities expressly vested in another regulatory body by an Act of the National Assembly.
3. WHAT THEN IS THE ROLE OF THE MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENTIST?
If NAFDAC assumes regulatory oversight over blood and blood products in a manner that extends into professional blood transfusion science practice, the profession is entitled to ask: What then becomes the statutory responsibility of the Medical Laboratory Scientist? The answer is clear. The Medical Laboratory
Scientist remains a legally recognised professional whose field of practice expressly includes blood transfusion
science. The laboratory component of transfusion medicine cannot simply be removed from Medical Laboratory
Science by administrative declaration.
4. NAFDAC HAS A ROLE — BUT REGULATORY ROLES MUST NOT BE CONFUSED
We acknowledge the important role of NAFDAC in protecting public health through regulation of products within
its statutory mandate. However, product regulation is not synonymous with professional regulation. Regulation of a product does not automatically confer authority to regulate every profession that uses, tests,processes or applies that product. NAFDAC may have legitimate responsibilities concerning regulated products, while MLSCN retains its statutory responsibility for the professional practice of Medical Laboratory Science.
5. THE NATIONAL BLOOD SERVICE COMMISSION ACT 2021 MUST ALSO BE RECOGNISED
The National Blood Service Commission Act 2021 provides for the coordination and control of blood transfusion
services nationwide, including the safety and quality of blood and accreditation of blood transfusion service facilities. Its governance framework recognises multiple professional and regulatory stakeholders, including representation from AMLSN and NAFDAC. This demonstrates the need for inter-agency collaboration rather than unilateral regulatory displacement.
6. WE CANNOT ALLOW INSTITUTIONAL OVERREACH TO CREATE REGULATORY CONFLICT
Nigeria’s health system already faces overlapping institutional responsibilities. The solution cannot be to create further confusion by allowing one regulatory agency to assume functions that Parliament has already assigned to another statutory body. Such an approach risks regulatory duplication, professional conflict, unnecessary bureaucracy, increased cost of healthcare delivery and, most importantly, possible compromise of patient safety. The answer is clear delineation of statutory responsibilities and effective collaboration.
7. THE PROFESSIONAL AUTONOMY OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE MUST BE PROTECTED
Medical Laboratory Science is a regulated health profession with its own enabling legislation. The MLSCN Act
provides for the regulation of the profession, its practitioners, training, laboratories and professional standards.
We therefore urge all institutions to respect the professional autonomy established by law and the lawful scope of practice of Medical Laboratory Scientists.
8. OUR POSITION
For the avoidance of doubt, we reject the NAFDAC press release to the extent that it purports to confer
upon NAFDAC exclusive, overriding or unrestricted jurisdiction over blood transfusion science, the
professional practice of Medical Laboratory Science, Medical Laboratory Scientists or medical
laboratories. We cannot accept any administrative interpretation that ignores Sections 4 and 29 of the MLSCN
Act No. 11 of 2003 or diminishes the legally established role of Medical Laboratory Scientists in blood transfusion
science.
9. OUR CALL TO MLSCN, AMLSN AND ALL RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS
We call upon the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) to immediately examine the NAFDAC
pronouncement and issue a clear professional and statutory position. We call upon AMLSN to use appropriate
professional, legal and institutional mechanisms to protect the statutory role of Medical Laboratory Scientists. We
call upon the National Blood Service Commission to clarify the respective roles of stakeholders, and upon
NAFDAC to engage MLSCN and the National Blood Service Commission through structured inter-agency
consultation.
10. OUR MESSAGE IS SIMPLE
We are not opposed to regulation. We are not opposed to NAFDAC. We are not opposed to improved blood
safety or stronger quality assurance. We are opposed to regulatory overreach. We are opposed to confusing
product regulation with professional regulation. We stand for regulatory clarity, professional integrity, safe blood
and the Nigerian patient.
CONCLUSION
The safety of Nigerian patients requires cooperation, not institutional competition. NAFDAC has a legitimate
role. The National Blood Service Commission has a legitimate role. MLSCN has a legitimate role. Medical
Laboratory Scientists have a legitimate professional role. The proper approach is to respect the law, respect
professional boundaries and build a coordinated national blood safety system in which every statutory institution
performs the functions assigned to it by law.
We therefore call on NAFDAC to clarify the scope of its 13 August 2026 press release and expressly
acknowledge the existing statutory mandates of MLSCN and the National Blood Service Commission.
We stand firmly on Act No. 11 of 2003.
We stand for professional integrity.
We stand for regulatory clarity.
We stand for safe blood.
We stand for the Nigerian patient.
SIGNED
DR FEWUDU I. U. MIIDLU
PhD, FWAPCMLS, FMLSCN, FESN, MSc Hematology, BMLS, AIMLS
NATIONAL CONVENER
SAVED AMLSN MOVEMENT
