Steve Uzoechi For nearly a decade, hundreds of Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) students from Imo State University (IMSU) Owerri have been unable to sit their professional council examinations (exams) or be inducted into the Medical Laboratory Council of Nigeria (MLCN).
This followed IMSU’s failure to adhere to an agreement with the MLCN. The MLS department at IMSU has been embroiled in a prolonged crisis due to the university’s over-admission of students, far exceeding the approved quota of 120 students per session.
A sourcein the department claimed that the class of 2018, which graduated in 2023, had over 350 stu – dents—nearly three times the approved limit.
This over-admission has led to a standoff with the MLCN, which has refused to index and induct the students. Without an index number, graduates cannot take the mandatory professional exams required for induction into the profession.
As a result, many students who completed their final year exams as far back as 2018 are still waiting for their chance to become certified medical laboratory scientists.
