The Medical Laboratory preparedness for the next pandemic

The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) Annual Scientific Conference and workshop has been a yearly programme since 1964, when the Association was formed. The conference has provided a notable platform for the convergence of medical laboratory scientists, other health professionals, researchers, policy makers and business men and women, where ideas and business fester towards the improvement of health systems and health care.

This year’s conference, the 57th in sequence, is termed GLORY OF ALL LANDS 2021. The conference is named after the slogan of Yenagoa, the capital city of Nigeria’s gas capital, Bayelsa State – that is known as the glory of all lands – where the story of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry began, has come a long way.

The present-day capital of the southern Nigeria state of Bayelsa was originally a settlement of the Epie-Atissa clan, a subgroup of the Ijaw ethnic group that is to be found almost in the entire stretch of the River Niger delta region.

The city of Yenagoa began its evolution into a modern urban centre with the creation of the Port Harcourt, Degema and Yenagoa provinces from the old Rivers province under the British colonial government in 1959. Yenagoa naturally became the headquarters of the province named after it.

The situation was the same when the nomenclature of local administration changed to divisions, and later local government areas. Yenagoa remained the headquarters over the years.

So when Bayelsa state was created out of the old Rivers state in 1996, it fell upon Yenagoa to play the role of capital for the state whose name was coined out of the Brass, Yenagoa and Sagbama local government areas, the principal components of the state.

From its humble beginning as a fishing hamlet, it has evolved into the seat of power of one of the richest states in Nigeria in terms of petroleum resources endowments.

Perhaps as a testament of its pride of place in the petroleum industry; which is still the pivot of the Nigerian political economy, Yenagoa is the home of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) whose 17 storey Headquarters building dominates its skyline.

The Black Gold (Crude Oil) is however not all Yenagoa is known for. Before the advent of the Crude oil Trade, the Palm produces Trade flourished in Yenagoa, which was part of the area then known as the Oil Rivers Protectorate. There is still a Bayelsa Palm Estate in Yenagoa today, to help one reminisce about those glory days of old.

In many ways, Yenagoa is a city in a hurry to grow. All the successive governments in Bayelsa state since its creation have striven to give it a befitting look for a state capital.

From the old town dominated by no more than a few road arteries, new layouts and estates have sprung up all around the emergent city, linked by new roads and overhead bridges.

In step with these developments, the social life of Yenagoa has expanded with the influx of civil servants, employees of service companies such as banks and phone companies as well as business people who help to run its new economy.

Covid-19 caught the world unprepared and caused one of the unprecedented mortality and morbidity in the history of the human race. The effect of covid-19 cannot be quantified in economic, scientific and social terms. Countries irrespective of scientific, technological and technical know how we’re not insulated from the fury of the virus . It took over a year for the world to partially contain the novel virus with an attendant economic downturn.

The containment and management of covid-19 was centrally established in the Medical Laboratory. Covid-19 diagnosis and management was resolved in the laboratory using modern technology and expertise. These technologies and expertise were contributory to massive successes recorded in the fight against novel viruses. The battle would have been won earlier if the needed technologies, manpower and technical know-how were available.

Glory Of All Lands 2021 Scientific Conference of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) will focus on the medical laboratory preparedness for the next pandemic. The Conference will explore the various Scientific technologies and tools essential in containing the pandemic and improving upon the public health capacity of Nigeria.

1. To x-ray the set-backs in the fight against Covid-19.
2. To share experience on the fight against Covid-19.
3. To elaborate on the Medical Laboratory essentials in pandemic preparedness.
4. To create fora for the engagement of the various players in disease containment and surveillance.
5. To exploit the forensic perspectives to Covid-19 narrative.

The conference will feature exhibitions from local and international laboratory equipment and instrument manufacturers and vendors throughout its duration and would provide opportunities for networking and business partnership between professionals and key industry players.

The conference would feature guided Tours to the National Bioresource Centre Odi and the Bayelsa Molecular laboratory, research and diagnostic centre. Also there will be a visit to tourist sites like the Oloibiri  Oil field, west Africa’s first oil well; the White man’s grave at Brass and the Oxbow lake Swali.

The 3-day Conference will be held at the Government house Banquet hall, Onopa Yenagoa Bayelsa State from the 8th to 12th of September 2021. The conference will feature 3 panel sessions, 3 satellite and 3 concurrent breakout sessions. There would also be presentations of abstracts of original research works, public health evaluations and surveys by international and local subject matter experts during the satellite sessions and poster presentations.