MLSCN: how to register a medical laboratory in Nigeria

To register a medical laboratory with the MLSCN, you apply online at labs.mlscn.gov.ng, pay the approval fee through Remita, then complete an application covering your proprietor, tests, equipment, safety, waste disposal, staff and documents. The Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria then reviews it and approves the premises.

The steps below come from two MLSCN documents: its Guidelines on Medical Laboratory Approval in Nigeria and the Inspectorate Unit’s 2023 user manual for the lab registration portal. Screens and fees change, so confirm on the portal.

What does the MLSCN regulate?

The Council was set up by Act 11 of 2003. Its functions include inspecting, regulating and accrediting medical laboratories, public and private. For a lab owner, that means:

• All premises for the practice of medical laboratory science must be fully registered with the Council.
• Every medical laboratory, government or private, must be headed by a Medical Laboratory Scientist with cognate experience.
• A copy of the current licence to practise must be displayed in a conspicuous place in the lab.
• Besides the Council’s seal, a sign bearing the Council’s logo is displayed in front of every registered facility.

What MLSCN asks for before it approves a lab

The approval guidelines list these requirements with a completed application form:

1. A letter of intent from the Director of Medical Laboratory Services or the proprietor.
2. A Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) business registration certificate, or an Act or Edict for public institutions.
3. A resident Medical Laboratory Scientist with a current practising licence and at least five years’ post-NYSC experience, employed full time by the lab.
4. A Laboratory Information System (LIS) in place.
5. The receipt for the approval fee, paid in the laboratory’s name.
6. An equipment list able to run at least 50% of your proposed tests.
7. A floor plan, an organisational chart and the list of tests you will run.
8. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for each test, and a quality manual.
9. A legally sealed MOU with the resident scientist, if the owner is not a Medical Laboratory Scientist.

The guidelines call a working Quality Management System “a major requirement” for registration.

How much is the MLSCN approval fee?

The guidelines list three levels: ₦100,000 for a primary level lab, ₦300,000 for secondary and ₦500,000 for tertiary or research. That document dates from 2023, so check the current fee on the portal’s fee dropdown before paying.

How to register a medical laboratory on the MLSCN portal

For a lab that has never registered, the manual sets out this order:

1. Open labs.mlscn.gov.ng. Under Guidelines, download the Registration Requirements and the Checklist for Pre-Approval, and study both.
2. Click “click here to login”, then “Register (for non-registered laboratories only)”, and accept the terms.
3. Enter a working email address, the lab’s name and phone number, and pick the application type and fee.
4. Click Generate and Start Application. You get a Remita code by email.
5. Pay the code online by card or other option, or at your bank.
6. Fill the registration form: proprietor, CAC number, category, date established, directors and a password. Use the exact name on your CAC documents.
7. Click Start Registration, log in and open Complete your Application.

The ten tabs you must complete

Inside the dashboard, the application has ten tabs: Proprietor Detail, Basic Detail, Board of Directors, Test Menu, Equipment, Laboratory Units, Safety, Waste Disposal Method, Staff and Upload Documents. Watch these details:

• Location: latitude and longitude must be measured inside the lab, to five decimal places. The manual points to the MLSCN-GPS app for this.
• Staff: you enter each scientist’s RA/RF number and the portal pulls their licence details. Each scientist is emailed to confirm consent, and one scientist’s details can only be used once.
• Documents: PDF only.

When everything is in, click Submit and Close Application. After that you cannot edit unless MLSCN returns it, and your panel shows Awaiting Approval.

Renewal: the 31 March date to watch

• The lab: the manual says every lab on the portal is automatically locked out by 31 March each year, the deadline for retention charges. You unlock it by entering the Remita code you used to pay that year’s retention charge.
• Your scientists: the Act requires practitioners to obtain their licence to practise by 31 March each year. Practitioner licences run on a separate portal, portal.mlscn.gov.ng, where scientists pay their annual practising fee through Remita.

Labs approved before the online system moved across use “Create account (for registered laboratories only)” and their PML number instead of a fresh registration.

Approved. Now fill the lab.

Approval puts your lab on the MLSCN register and its Medical Laboratory Locator. It doesn’t bring patients through the door. People still have to find you, trust you and get a quick answer when they ask about a test.

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Questions clinic owners ask about MLSCN registration

Do government hospital labs need MLSCN registration?

The MLSCN mandate says all premises for the practice of medical laboratory science must be registered with the Council, whether government owned or private. The portal manual adds that government-owned hospitals do not have to submit a CAC number.

Can someone who is not a scientist own a medical laboratory?

Yes, per the approval guidelines. The owner must provide an MOU with the resident Medical Laboratory Scientist, and the MOU must carry a legal seal.

What happens after I submit my MLSCN application?

Your dashboard shows Awaiting Approval and the application is locked. You can only edit it if MLSCN returns it.

When does an MLSCN lab registration need renewing?

The portal manual sets 31 March each year as the deadline for retention charges. After that date, labs are locked out of the portal until they enter the Remita code for the current year’s payment.