Overview of Persistent Inter-Professional Rivalry Within the Laboratory Medicine Practice Domain of Tertiary Healthcare Institutions in Nigeria: A Narrative Review

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The persistent inter-professional rivalry within the laboratory medicine practice domain of Nigerian tertiary healthcare institutions constitutes a systemic crisis that undermines diagnostic accuracy, jeopardizes patient safety, and disrupts healthcare delivery. This longstanding conflict between the Medical Laboratory Scientists (MLS) and the laboratory-based physicians (Clinical Pathologists) centers mainly on operational independence, leadership in clinical laboratories, and statutory boundaries. This review examines the historical, legal, educational, and socio-political causes of this rivalry in Nigerian tertiary healthcare settings. Historically, laboratory medicine practice functions shifted from physician-led to specialized, autonomous scientific roles, leading to overlapping claims over laboratory and clinical consultation domains. Conflicting laws—such as the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) Practitioners Act and the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) Act—have created parallel regulatory frameworks, resulting in ongoing legal disputes at the National Industrial Court. These dynamics foster operational silos, strikes, and diagnostic errors, often causing preventable misdiagnoses. To transform this rivalry into collaborative clinical efforts, the article recommends a comprehensive approach that includes legislative reforms, separation of administrative and clinical roles, formal interprofessional education in training, and joint governance boards in tertiary healthcare settings. Ultimately, resolving this conflict is vital to achieving international standards and protecting Nigerian patient care from interprofessional conflicts.

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