By Aliyu DANLADI
The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has appealed to the police and other security agencies in the country to assist its efforts to curb quackery in the medical practice.
Chairman, NMA, Ekiti chapter, Dr Tunji Omotayo, , made the appeal at a news conference on Sunday in Ado Ekiti, to mark the 2018 Physicians Week.
According to him, the menace has reached an alarming stage and requires the full support of all security agencies as it has caused untimely deaths of many Nigerians.
“The activities of quacks are crippling the medical profession and reducing the quality of practice in the country; quackery is the bane of development of any society or profession, including medical practice.
“It is a danger to the society; patients always commit their lives in the hands of doctors and once they are not saved, then we are all endangered.
“The police must help us in this regard because we have identified some people parading themselves as qualified medical practitioners but were later found to be quacks.
“We reported their cases to the police but surprisingly they were let off the hook.
“We plead that the police should do more; they must partner with us in this regard because it affects everybody.
“We appeal for cooperation and support of the police and other security agencies in arresting the culprits”, he said.
According to the NMA chairman, the main theme of this year’s event is: “Medical Quackery and Litigation, Closing the Gap in Polio Eradication and Universal Health Coverage.’’
Omotayo said that child and maternal mortality in Nigeria was increasing and reducing life expectancy of the people, because disparity in accessing quality healthcare delivery in the country was poor.
He also called for full implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) across the states to achieve universal health coverage.
The NMA boss also appealed to the Ekiti Government to implement the State Insurance Health
Scheme (SHIS) without further delay, to ameliorate the sufferings of the masses who patronised quacks as thire last resort.
“The SHIS bill was signed into law under ex-Governor Ayodele Fayose, but we have to go beyond this and move to the level of implementation.
“We also frown at the lingering crisis rocking the NHIS and we urge the Federal Government to intervene appropriately to restore peace and stability to the agency for it to deliver on its mandate,” he said.
He congratulated Ekiti new governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on his election success, assuring him that NMA would partner with his administration to reposition the health sector in the state.
