Practitioners in research, testing, calibration, schools and manufacturing laboratories have decried the unwholing medicines in baskets and prescribing drugs to ignorant patients on the streets, urging government to halt the practice.

The group which expressed dismay at the current spread of water diseases, lead poisoning and deaths attributed to typhoid, also called on regulatory bodies like the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and Federal and State Ministry of Health, among others, to rise up to the occasion by apprehending the culprits.

The observation and plea were expressed during the discussions at the 2026 World Laboratory Day, which held at Iseyin with the theme: “Rethinking The Role of Laboratories in Global Health and Development”.

It was organised by Lab21 Services Limited, in conjunction with the Association of Analytical and Calibration Laboratory Directors (AACLD).