Medical Laboratory Scientist
You generate the test results that guide diagnosis and treatment – without you, doctors work blind.
What this life looks like
About 70 percent of all medical decisions are based on laboratory test results. When a doctor diagnoses malaria, confirms HIV, identifies drug-resistant tuberculosis, measures a diabetic patient's blood sugar, detects cancer cells, or determines a patient's blood type before surgery – all of that depends on a Medical Laboratory Scientist who ran the test, interpreted the result, and reported it accurately. You work behind the scenes in ways that are invisible to patients but absolutely central to every clinical decision. Medical Laboratory Scientists analyse blood, urine, tissue, and other samples using a sophisticated range of biological and chemical techniques. In Africa laboratory capacity is one of the most critical gaps in the healthcare system. Many hospitals cannot run basic tests because they lack equipment, reagents, or trained staff. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed how devastating that gap can be – countries without laboratory capacity could not diagnose their own cases. Building laboratory capacity across Africa is one of the most urgent priorities in health system strengthening, and the Medical Laboratory Scientists who choose this career are building that foundation.
What she actually does
A Medical Laboratory Scientist performs haematology tests including full blood counts and blood typing, clinical chemistry tests including glucose, renal function, and liver function, microbiological cultures and sensitivity testing for infections, parasitology including malaria diagnosis, immunology and serology tests including HIV and hepatitis testing, histopathology and cytology including cancer diagnosis, and quality assurance to ensure test accuracy and reliability.
Where you can work
| Sector | Places in Africa |
|---|---|
| Hospital laboratories in government and private facilities at all levels | Kenyatta National Hospital (Kenya), Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (Ghana), Netcare Group Laboratories (South Africa) |
| Standalone diagnostic laboratory companies | Lancet Laboratories, PathCare, 54gene (Nigeria), Synlab Africa |
| Reference laboratories running specialist tests | National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD, South Africa), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) |
| Public health laboratory networks | African Public Health Laboratories Network (ASLM), Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) |
| Research laboratories at universities and research institutions | Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (Ghana), West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) |
| International health organisations running diagnostic programmes | Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), FIND (Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics), USAID |
Why it matters in Africa
Without reliable laboratory services, clinical medicine is guesswork. Malaria cannot be diagnosed definitively without a blood film or rapid test. Drug-resistant tuberculosis cannot be identified without molecular testing. Blood transfusions cannot be given safely without blood typing. Cancer cannot be diagnosed pathologically without laboratory examination of tissue. Yet across much of Africa these tests are unavailable or unreliable. Investment in laboratory capacity and trained laboratory scientists is foundational to every other health improvement.
Your pathway in
Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics at secondary school. You then complete a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science degree, typically four years, at institutions such as the University of Lagos, Ahmadu Bello University, the University of Ghana, or the University of Nairobi. After graduating you complete an internship and register with your national laboratory science council. Postgraduate specialisation in areas such as clinical microbiology, haematology, or molecular diagnostics is available at master's level.
Skills you will need
Technical: Haematology, clinical chemistry, microbiology, parasitology, immunology, histopathology, and laboratory quality management. Human: Meticulous attention to detail – a laboratory error can lead to misdiagnosis and patient harm – systematic and methodical working practice, and the ability to work effectively under time pressure when urgent results are needed. Digital tools: Laboratory information management systems, automated analyser platforms, molecular diagnostics systems including PCR machines, and quality control software.
A woman in this field
Prof. Koleka Mlisana
South Africa
Prof. Mlisana is a renowned microbiologist and the former Executive Manager: Academic Affairs, Research & Quality Assurance at the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS). She has been a pivotal figure in South Africa's response to HIV/AIDS and TB, and she played a critical leadership role in the laboratory response during the COVID-19 pandemic as the Co-Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee. She is highly respected for her work in strengthening laboratory medicine standards and clinical research across the continent.
Take your first step
Chemistry and Biology are your most important subjects – medical laboratory science is applied chemistry and biology. If your school has any laboratory practicals, take them seriously – the habits of precision, method, and documentation that laboratory scientists need are built through every practical session you do at school. Look up the African Society for Laboratory Medicine to understand the community of laboratory professionals working to strengthen diagnostic capacity across the continent.