Practitioners Decry Poor Sachet Water Regulation in Oyo State
Practitioners in research, testing, calibration, schools, and manufacturing laboratories have called on the Federal and Oyo State governments to improve the remuneration of laboratory workers. They also decried the poor regulation of sachet water production in the Iseyin and Oke-Ogun areas of Oyo State, attributing the spread of waterborne diseases, lead poisoning, and deaths linked to typhoid to regulatory negligence.
The concerns were raised at the 2026 World Laboratory Day, themed “Rethinking the Role of Laboratories in Global Health and Development,” organised by Lab21 Services Limited in collaboration with the Association of Analytical and Calibration Laboratory Directors (AACLD).
In his remarks, Chairman of the occasion and Chief Executive Officer of Berekotry Ltd, Taslim Owonikoko, urged governments at all levels to prioritise improved remuneration for laboratory workers to curb the rising brain drain in the sector. “Laboratory workers are essential to the growth of health, manufacturing, education, and other sectors. If we continue with the current rate of brain drain, we will keep lamenting inefficiencies in the system,” he said.
He noted that it has become common for professionals in the medical and laboratory fields to migrate abroad due to better remuneration and improved living conditions. “The government must give laboratory workers their due. Communities should also be sensitised that professionals should serve locally for at least two or three years before considering relocation abroad,” he added.
Delivering a lecture, the Chief Executive Officer of Lab21 Services Limited, Dr. Femi Oyediran, called on regulators in Oyo State to strengthen monitoring of sachet water production, warning that several community health challenges have been linked to contaminated water. He said, “It is estimated that 1.1 million premature deaths annually could be prevented in low- and middle-income countries if 90 per cent of patients had access to necessary diagnostic tests for just six conditions.”
He stressed the need for stricter checks on manufacturers, particularly sachet water producers operating across communities. Oyediran also called for stronger collaboration among health sector stakeholders to improve global health security and ensure human, animal, environmental, and food safety.
