Rivalry among Health Professionals in Nigeria: A tale of two giants

The lingering rivalry that exists between Pathologists and Medical Laboratory Scientists in Tertiary hospitals in Nigeria was studied at a private tertiary hospital in Southwest Nigeria, aimed at determining the factors responsible for the rivalry among these two professional giants. Primary data were collected through in-depth interview of 16 participants in both professions. Result showed that, rivalry among these two professional bodies is as a result of the struggle for headship in the laboratory, patient ownership, remuneration and the fear of a profession going extinct. The study recommended that government should not only enact laws that spell out the roles of these two professional bodies in the hospital in line with international best practices, but also ensure the full implementation of such laws in order to curb the lingering crisis. Keywords: Rivalry, Health Professionals, Doctors, Pathologists, Medical Laboratory Scientists, Remuneration, Patient