The Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria has inducted 18 graduates of Trinity University, Yaba, Lagos.
Those inducted were the Medical Laboratory Science graduating class of 2025, including Emily Philomina, Ejiro Oghene, Paiwole Elizabeth, and Sanusi Rebecca.
At the event held at the university premises, the Acting Registrar, MLSCN, Dr Donald Ofili, advised the new professionals to uphold integrity, avoid misconduct, shun falsification of logbooks during internship and adhere strictly to the Council’s code of conduct.
Oyedeji informed the new inductees of the broad ethical landscape of modern laboratory practice, including confidentiality, conflicts of interest, malpractice, and the influence of artificial intelligence on diagnostics.
He emphasised that the good of the patient must remain paramount and warned against growing trends such as fee-splitting, mislabeling of samples, rushing laboratory reports, and unethical vendor relationships.
He also raised questions about ethics on the use of Artificial Intelligence, including patient data privacy, accountability for machine-generated errors, and fairness in algorithmic decision-making.
He urged the inductees to prioritise trust, integrity, competence, and conscientiousness as central pillars of their professional lives.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Clement Kolawole, urged the inductees to uphold integrity, discipline, professionalism and compassion in their practice.
He reminded them that medical laboratory science remains the backbone of clinical diagnosis and, therefore, demands high ethical vigilance and unwavering commitment to patient safety.
He said, “As you go into practice, remember that you are not only representing your family, you are also serving as ambassadors of this great institution and the medical laboratory science profession.
“Let your conduct therefore reflect the highest standards of the profession. Stay true to your oath, and always prioritise patient care and safety.
“I encourage you not to be among the complainers, but be among the solution providers.”
She further urged them to be guided by the values instilled in them for their five years of study.
“For five years, Trinity University has equipped you with knowledge, skills, values, a sense of responsibility and a sense of mission. You must not go back on all you have learnt and the values the university has instilled in you,” she said.
Speaking, the Registrar, Trinity University, Mr David Oyejide, described the event as a milestone that symbolises “the culmination of years of toiling and dedicated efforts” by the graduates and the institution’s faculty.
He commended MLSCN for its continued collaboration in strengthening professional standards and reaffirmed the university’s commitment to producing competent and ethical medical laboratory scientists.
The guest speaker on the occasion, Prof Kola Oyedeji, raised ethical concerns on the application of AI in clinical laboratory settings in the areas of data privacy, trust, accountability, bias, explicability, patient autonomy, fairness, transparency, data governance, confidentiality, and data security.
Oyedeji said, “As an MLS, you must strive to show compassion (active regard for another’s welfare), discernment (ability to make fitting judgments and reach decisions without being unduly influenced by external factors).”
She also tasked the inductees with trustworthiness, integrity, and conscientiousness.
He called for caution on the use of AI in medical laboratory practice.
“AI systems should respect human rights, diversity and the autonomy of individuals. AI systems should be inclusive and accessible. It should not involve or result in unfair discrimination against individuals, communities or groups,” Oyedeji added.