If you have been searching for how to start a medical laboratory business in Nigeria, then your search ends here, as we are going to provide you a detailed guide, and tips for success on how to start a medical laboratory business in Nigeria.
One thing we have learned as a Nigerian is being able to take it as a course of duty to maintain a balance between humanity and businesses. This is why it’s not a surprise to learn that 70% of industries in Nigeria are not assessed based on the industrial value system but on the National standard. This is perhaps, one vital reason, why medical attention in Nigeria, is greatly sought for.
What Is A Medical Laboratory?
A medical lab is different from a hospital, or a clinic, a medical laboratory is a situation room, where medical tests are being conducted.
In terms of hierarchy, a medical lab isn’t inferior to a pharmacy, or a doctor’s office neither is it inferior to the theater, but it’s a medical room, which other medical bodies depend upon before they can function.
To make it plain, a medical lab is the embodiment of better diagnosing, and its function and vital role, in the medical field, can’t be underrated.
How Profitable Is Medical Laboratory Business In Nigeria?
Medical Laboratory business in Nigeria, is undoubtedly a big investment, and to do this, you need a medical laboratory business plan to know how to achieve success here. No amount of words can qualify how profitable this investment is, in Nigeria.
However, as obvious as the name of the business sounds, medical laboratory business, this type of business, can’t be coordinated by anyhow a person. It has to be done under the supervision of a medical practitioner, most especially Scientist/Technologies, who has bagged a degree in a recognized Institution.
It is a core requirement for anyone who wants to start a medical laboratory business to have either MLS, MLT, BMLS, DMLS. before they can commence operation in the country.
What Are The Requirements To Start A Medical Laboratory?
If you are desirous about learning how to start a medical laboratory Business, your research won’t be complete without learning what it takes to start, the requirements, and the criteria, and finally, a medical laboratory business plan. The below are detailed guides on what it takes to start a medical laboratory business in Nigeria.
Get The Laboratory Building:
This is the first most important part of your journey of starting a medical laboratory business. There are few requirements, on how the building should be, which includes,
- Well ventilation
- Spacious
- Workbenches and,
- Lightning
These are a few requirements that the building to start a medical laboratory must possess, however, bear in mind that, using a rented apartment or building is well accepted to start a medical laboratory business in Nigeria, so far the building meets up with the requirements.
Furthermore, it should be noted that anywhere a medical building is situated, there should be less noise or disturbance in the area, which simply means, where a medical laboratory building should be situated, should be in an area where there is less noise or disturbance, in addition to this, non-experts, shouldn’t be allowed in the building for any purpose.
Get Lab Equipment:
You need to include your equipment cost in your medical laboratory business plan. No business can function without having the right equipment. A vital piece of equipment that shouldn’t be missing in a medical laboratory is a microscope. This is what makes up a medical lab, however, this is not only the equipment needed.
Categorically, you won’t get to any medical lab in Nigeria, and a microscope will be missing there. Although, a microscope is of two types, whichever one is gotten, is okay for an average lab in Nigeria.
Furthermore, another important piece of equipment that must not be missing is glassware, the common type of glassware is transparent glassware, and it needs to be gotten alongside the microscope before a medical lab can function.
Appreciation to the advancement of technology, as most of this equipment, doesn’t come from glass anymore, but in plastic. As it’s easy for most of this glass equipment to break, and this can have a devastating effect on a lab, being fact that most of this equipment is extremely costly.
The two pieces of equipment that have been mentioned in this guide are the basic requirements. No Laboratory can function without them.
Without glassware, nothing like test can be conducted.
For this purpose, no lab will be allowed to operate in Nigeria, without acquiring this equipment. Either of the two types of this equipment that are gotten (graduated or non graduated) is okay to start a medical lab in Nigeria, however, for the sake of measuring a quantity, it’s preferable to get graduated types of this equipment.
Noteworthy, bottles that Should be in a medical laboratory, are expected to differ from specimen bottles, via reagents bottles to drop bottles.
Furthermore, the number of drop bottles can be less than reagent bottles, as the reagent bottles are always in high demand to carry out tests in a laboratory. This is why the need to explain, Pipette differs, is highly Paramount. The below are the different types of pipette
- Volumetric
- Pasteur
- Graduated and,
- Blood pipette.
And all these types of pipette are expected to be found in a Laboratory, as they carry out different functions. A more detailed explanation of this will require additional professionals.
Having ensured that the above equipment mentioned above has been gotten, let’s proceed to another important device that must not be left out in a medical laboratory. The device is a centrifuge.
What is a centrifuge? A centrifuge is a device that works on the principle of circulating to sediment rapid particles such as cells.
The major purpose of centrifuge is to determine PCV (packed cell volume), which is an essential part of a laboratory test, in addition to other reoccurring regular tests. With respect to this, your Laboratory isn’t complete and won’t be approved to function without having this equipment.
Also, there are different types of the centrifuge, and a notable one among the different types is the hand centrifuge. This type gives slower speed and is more antique. A recommended one is the motor-driven type.
Micro-hematocrit is another type of centrifuge, which is a motor-driven type. This type of centrifuge is modern, as it performs the function of auto estimating the PCV, of the red blood cell volume, in the desired percentage.
Any laboratory in Nigeria that wants to function well, is expected to get a good functioning centrifuge.
Other equipment that comes on this list is a weighing scale, also analytical balance. It’s an essential piece of equipment in a laboratory. Analytical balance and weighing scale may seem the same, however, they are quite different from each other. Their difference is in their measurements, one is designed to measure the large quantity, while the other is designed to weigh smaller quantities.
The Medical Laboratory business in Nigeria is quite a competitive one, and to beat your competitors, you must be ready to get the right and sophisticated types of this Equipment and have a sophisticated medical laboratory business plan. Remember, “getting the right peg for the right hole is the quality of being professional”
It’s quite possible to measure with any available device, however when it comes to smaller quantities, an analytical balance is needed to get the right measurements.
Summary Of All The Tools Mentioned To Start A Medical Laboratory Business In Nigeria.
For those desirous about learning how to start a medical laboratory business in Nigeria, we hope you’ve been able to learn the right tools to start a lab in Nigeria.
Also, it should be noted that a laboratory differs, and some lab is specific and related to certain clinical sciences such as
- Blood banking
- Cytology
- Histopathology
- Microbiology
- Parasitology
However, whichever field a medical laboratory is related to, the tools that have been mentioned in this article are the basic tools that must be gotten. The tools mentioned so far are.
- Centrifuge
- Pipette
- Glassware
- Microscope
- Analytical balance
You must know that all this equipment is of different quality, and how quality it is will determine the price for it.
Tips For Success
Nothing works without endurance, stepping into the medical laboratory business will require that you should be able to endure. Things may not work fine, for a short period of starting however bear in mind that at the end of a tunnel, is a light.
Do not rush to compete with others, start on the low, make your prices for tests low, till you can gain solid recognition.
Make advertisements about your Laboratory on several media, televisions, radio and let the people know you’ve got something different and special from others who are in your field.
The internet is a good place, to easily gain recognition, do adverts on internet media.
Conclusion
We hope this article is of help, and you’ve been able to get the details on how to start a medical laboratory business in Nigeria. If this article has been useful to you, kindly share it with others.
Related posts:
25 Amazing Businesses You Can Start With 50K and grow Into Millions
COWRYWISE VS PIGGYVEST, what you should know before investing your money
15 Smart ways to invest your money in Nigeria (2023)
Top 11 Reliable Nigerian Web Hosting Companies You can Choose From
The 5 Strongest Banks in Nigeria and Their Market Capital
How To Start Palm Oil Business In Nigeria
Best Bank In Nigeria For Company’s Account or Savings Account
Invest In Forex Vs Stock; What You Ought to Know
Am a microbiologist, with MSc in Medical microbiology and currently am running MPH can I open my own laboratory and employ other MLT
Yes, you can, once you obtain all the necessary licenses.
Thanks so much for this tips. However, I’m curious to know this. Can someone who doesn’t have a medical related degree float a medical lab while employing qualified personnel to run it?
Can such Lab get an approval?
Response will highly be appreciated.
Thanks in anticipation.
Do you have contacts to any company or sales reps that one can buy these equipments from?
Thanks for the fantastic information… I’m have my Bsc in Human anatomy and cell biology faculty Basic Medical Science. Can I open a medical laboratory and employ scientists and technicians? Will the lab be approved?
Thanks for the information
Pls for medical laboratory site must there be toilet and water inside the lab .
The shop I have there’s no water inside but I want to improvise and there’s general toilet can it be approved.
This hugely depends on who comes to inspect the place. Generally, you should have those facilities, but sometimes, one can get approval without it. Thank you for loving our content.