Health Professionals Seek Increased Funding, Decentralised Screening to Eliminate Hepatitis by 2030

Health Professionals Seek Increased Funding, Decentralised Screening to Eliminate Hepatitis by 2030 Healthcare professionals in Nigeria are seeking increased government funding and decentralised screening to support efforts by the World Health Organisation towards eliminating viral Hepatitis by 2030. This was echoed at the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (AMLSCN) 2026 webinar to mark World Hepatitis Day themed “Elimination for Everyone, Everywhere, Right Now!” The webinar which held on Tuesday, ran concurrently with a free hepatitis B and C screening at Orile-Igamu, Lagos, where lab scientists provided free screening to members of the community. According to professionals who spoke at the event, the asymptomatic nature of the disease pose great risk to the Nigerian population further exacerbated by disproportionate distribution of testing kits across healthcare facilities in the country. In his remarks, a lecturer at the Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Oloruntoba Ayodele, explained that incorporating modern testing tools and cascading distribution of testing kits to secondary tertiary institutions has the potential to expand access to testing, early diagnosis and early treatment intervention for patients. Without early testing and treatment intervention, the larger population remain at risk. “We need funding to ensure that the laboratories are well equipped with modern equipment and to ensure that new technologies are made available. We must move beyond the level of just serological testing. Molecular testing should be available in more centres. We should have more centres where further investigations can be carried out without delay. According to Ayodele, presently, new technologies in testing can only be found in teaching hospitals. He therefore called on the federal government to expedite action towards making these tools available at secondary institution where a larger number of patients frequent. “Some of these new technologies are only assessable in tertiary institutions. The burden of hepatitis virus in our society is huge and so if we can scale these testing tools and technologies down to secondary healthcare facilities, like the general hospitals, where more people actually patronise, it will be good,” he said. In his remarks, the Chairperson, AMLSCN Surulere chapter, Osuagwu Nonyelum, explained that the webinar represents a commitment on the path of the association to strengthen advocacy and awareness on hepatitis B and C as a public health concern which requires the concerted efforts of government, health care providers and the public to tackle. “This conference provides us with another opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the fight against viral hepatitis through awareness, early diagnosis, quality laboratory services, and collaboration. “As Medical Laboratory Scientists, we play a vital role in ensuring accurate diagnosis, monitoring treatment, and supporting public health efforts aimed at eliminating hepatitis as a public health threat,” he said. In their lectures, Dr. Adesola Olalekan and Dr. Chinenye Nwoko, noted that unsafe practices such as sharing of sharp object, reusing of syringes, lack of proper knowledge on recapping of syringes, improper handling of blood materials, improper sterilisation and autoclaving pose major risks to frontline health workers while advocating Standard Operating Procedures to guide safe practices in healthcare facilities and prevent the spread of the disease.