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Tag: quacks

  • Why quacks infiltrate ultrasound practice

    The Association of Medical Ultrasound Practitioners of Nigeria (AMUPN) has condemned the infiltration of its profession by quacks.

    According to the association, the have been taken over by quacks.

    AMUPN president Dr Femi Olagunju, who spoke at the association’s fourth Annual International Conference in Lagos, entitled: Ultrasound practice in Nigeria: challenges and prospects, said incoherent regulation and inefficient institutional frameworks for enforcement of regulation were the major factors promoting quackery.

    He described ultrasound practice in Nigeria as the most abused in the world.

    AMUPN, he said, is trying to ensure that ultrasound studies are appropriate and its practice up to international standards.

    Besides, improved patients outcomes should always be the aim of any medical services, especially ultrasound.

    “No test should be performed unless its result impacts positively on patient-management,” he said.

    Olagunju said practitioners should be competent to do an ultrasound test and extract maximum information from it.

    “So, for this reason, any medical ultrasound practitioner using ultrasound should be appropriately trained, qualified and registered for the manner in which he uses ultrasound,” he said.

    He spoke of the association being at the forefront of the promotion and sustenance of ultrasound standards.

    This, he said, was to ensure advocacy and strict adherence to international standards/ best practices.

    “We are aware of the fact that ultrasound practice in the country is in a despicable state with reckless and unbridled quackery going on unabated. Ultrasound training centres spring up all over the country without being properly screened and accredited by regulatory agencies of government. Diagnostic ultrasound centres are everywhere, manned by untrained, semi-trained, uncertified/ unlicensed personnel.

    Permanent Secretary Lagos State Ministry of Health Dr Modele Osunkiyesi assured the association that the facilities being run by quacks will soon be sealed off.

    She said that is why HEFAMA is encouraging stakeholders to come and register with it. “We expect them to have qualified personnel, among others,” she added.

    Osunkiyesi, represented by the Executive Secretary, Health Facilities Monitoring Agency (HEFAMA), Dr Mabel Adjekughele said there is a lot of quacks in the field, hence the need to sanitise it.

    The perm sec said over 3000 facilities had been registered while some have just applied for theirs.

    “There are about 150 diagnostic centres that have reegistered with us. Some have also shown their intention to have their facilities registered with HEFAMA”, she added.

  • Quacks threat to architects, says Ige

    Quacks threat to architects, says Ige

    Former Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development in Osun State, Mr. Muyiwa Ige, an architect, has said the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) Act 2004 can stamp out quacks from the profession.

    Ige, a two-time chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) Oyo State Chapter, regretted that quacks’ activities were posing a threat to the jobs of qualified professionals in the industry.

    Presently, he said, registered architects are less than 4,000 and  over 6,000 associate members, excluding several unregistered architects. And with the country’s population of 170 million and a housing deficit that is hovering between 18 million and 20 million, architects are in huge demand.

    “This shows that there are a lot of opportunities for architects in Nigeria and as a result of this, I am of the opinion that architects must take their rightful place now,” he said.

    Ige, who is the son to Nigeria’s assassinated Attorney-General and minister of justice, Chief Bola Ige, is  seeking election to become the new Third Vice President of the NIA at its biennial general meeting scheduled for November 21. He said the age long rivalry between  architects and their foreign counterpart is nowhere to be found now  as architects have performed more excellently over the years.

    “There is no competition with foreign architects because there is nothing that they know that we don’t know better. The truth of the matter is that the ARCON Act states that only architects registered in Nigeria can practice. Yes, foreign architects are coming in because the world is a global village but they must have a Nigerian architect on the minimum as a director of the company,’’ he explained.

    He promised to be in the vanguard of ensuring that the institute grow membership with young architects who will end up being the future of the institute.

    “If i win the election as the Third Vice President on November 21,  I will ensure that all my energy is used to elevate the institute till I eventually become the President in 2021. I will make sure that I will be at the vanguard of growing membership and ensure that young architects come to the fore and take their rightful position in the built environment. Issues like registration of young architects and that of registration of schools are going to be adequately addressed,” he assured.

  • Kaduna NMA moves to check quacks

    Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Kaduna State has moved to check-mate quackery and other malpractices in the medical profession.

    The Chairman Kaduna State Chapter of the Association, Dr. Muhammed Ibrahim gave this indication while briefing newsmen on rundown of activities marking the association’s 2015 Physician Week, Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference in Kaduna Friday.

    Dr. Ibrahim said the activities of quack Doctors have become alarming and worrisome and need urgent attention to tackle them.

    He said the association on weekly basis receives complaints concerning cases of malpractice and quackery, hence the urgent need for the public, the practitioners and the regulators to demonstrate commitment to tackle the challenges.

    According to him, “At least once in every week, NMA Kaduna State receives a complaints ranging from issues on medical malpractice, especially relating to violation of the ethics and values of clinical practice, or to quackery (unauthorised personnel performing the duties of Doctors).

    “As the old saying goes; a robber demands your money or your life; but, a quack demands your money and your life! It is therefore, no gain saying that top among problems begging for immediate attention in the health sector in Kaduna State is medical malpractice.

    “The NMA recognises that there is an urgent need for the public, the practitioners and the regulators to demonstrate commitment to face these challenges.

    “This underscores the careful choice of the theme of this year’s annual general meeting and scientific conference; addressing the many faces of medical malpractice in Nigeria. And a significant feature of this year’s conference is it focus on brainstorming on ways to address the problem of medical malpractice in Kaduna State.

    “Suspected cases of medical malpractice and quackery must be reported promptly to the Nigerian Medical Association, the Kaduna State ministry of Health, the medical and dental council of Nigeria and even the police,” he stated.

    Meanwhile, the association is using the week to honour physicians who distinguished themselves and also create awareness on the need for measles and polio vaccination, personal hygiene and general preventive measures to curtail the transmission of infectious diseases.

  • Lab regulator declares war on quacks

    Lab regulator declares war on quacks

    To check quackery, the MedicalLaboratory Science Statutory Regulatory Institution for Nigeria (MLSSRIN) has embarked on regular inspection of laboratories.

    Its Registrar, Prof Anthony Emeribe, is worried that such facilities return to business as soon as they are sealed off.

    Emeribe said: “This brings me to one critical instrument in the task of sanitising our medical laboratories, which is field inspection. Bequeathing a culture of quality service in our medical laboratories is an onerous task and we are rising to the occasion.’’

    Recalling past experiences, he said: “We were conducting field inspections more frequently than we have been doing lately. However, a disturbing pattern emerged and caused us to tarry and reconsider our strategy. For example, we discovered that after visiting a facility and possibly sealing it due to poor standards, as soon as we were out of sight, the operators would break the seal and continue with their nefarious activities. That was what they referred to as ‘business as usual’. It was a common and disturbing trend. It also bear clear that more advocacy and public enlightenment is needed to be done if the field inspections were to achieve the desired outcome. Now that we have done a lot of those, including securing the support and commitment of relevant security agencies, not forgetting our friends in the media, we are confident that our efforts will bear fruits.

    “Council has been working tirelessly to sanitise the entire medical laboratory services sector with a view to ridding it of quacks, fake or substandard products and other encumbrance to accurate, reliable and reproducible medical laboratory test results and reports.”

    The don continued: “No achievement is possible without the sacrifice, determination and commitment of the staff. Some of you who were in the field with us have had first-hand experience of the scope of work required to sanitise the sector, and you also noticed the commitment of our staff. Note too that those who are benefitting from the rot in the system are reluctant to embrace the transformation we are working towards. But they will not deter us, as we are determined to take the fight to all the nooks and crannies of this country. It is our duty and we will do it for the good of our fellow citizens. We urge you to join hands with us and together we will bequeath to our fellow citizens the sort of medical laboratory services they deserve and earnestly seek.”

    “Bequeathing a culture of quality service in our medical laboratories is an onerous task and we are rising to the occasion. But we cannot do it without the support of other stakeholders including the media. Already, our various advocacy and enlightenment programmes aimed at sensitising the public on the dangers of quackery and fake medical laboratory products, and on the imperative to demand reliable test results as of right, have been yielding results. Our international partners, especially the United States Centres for Diseases Control (CDC) have also been instrumental to our strengthening the capacity of medical laboratories to deliver quality services in line with international benchmarks. We are grateful for all the support.’’

    The regulatory body intends to mark the World Accreditation Day on June 9, this year. The theme is, Accreditation: Supporting the delivery of health and social care.

    This will be the first time such an event will be held in Central Africa and West Africa.

     

  • NIMN to sanction quacks

    NIMN to sanction quacks

    The National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) is set weed out quacks with the re-election of Mr. Ganiyu Koledoye as the president/Chairman of Council of the institute.

    With his re-election, the institute is repositioning to enhance standards.

    Part of the steps the new leadership plans to take is to remove quacks from the marketing industry and the re-elected president has asked the judiciary and office of the Minister of Commerce, Trade and Investment to make proclamations on the NIMN Act, to enable it check  quacks and delinquent members.

    Koledoye, who was re-elected at the Fifth Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the institute in Kaduna, said it had become imperative since such unwholesome practices had continued to constitute one of the critical issues affecting the institute.

    He noted that despite efforts by the institute and other professional bodies, such as the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), towards achieving placement in the federal civil service scheme, members were yet to be fully recognised in the sector, perhaps, part of which is the unresolved issue of quacks.

    As part of efforts to deepen the reach of the institute, Koledoye, however, added that the institute had, in the past one year, succeeded in  halting the declining trend in its turnover by opening up and penetrating the Northcentral and Northwest markets.

    He said the expansion  drive  embarked upon by the institute in the past two years, had begun to yield results, as noticed in the increase, from a partially-functioning six chapters, inherited two years ago, to over 23 chapters which the institute boasts of.

    “The time has come for us, as stakeholders, to give marketing practice a new meaning. We have started the journey, with a re-branding exercise that saw us jettisoning the former logo and brand which had been tainted with factionalism, litigation and confusion, thereby bringing to an end factionalism,” he added.

  • Pharmacists urge action against quacks, fake drugs

    Pharmacists urge action against quacks, fake drugs

    The ‘Pharmacy Week’ organised by the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Rivers State branch ended its Pharmacy week with a call to place the issue of pharmaceutical care of Nigerians in the front burner of national policy in order for patients to get the best.

    The programme which has as its theme“Better Health Care Outcome through Pharmaceutical Care” gave pharmacists and other health workers the opportunity to know how to achieve better health outcomes.

    The weeklong event started with a thanksgiving service at St. Paul African Church, Port Harcourt. There was also a walk against Ebola from Rumuokuta to Ada-George, during which hand sanitisers were freely distributed to people.

    The pharmacists also visited Aboloma axis of Port Harcourt to give free drugs to the residence after screening them for HIV/AIDS, diabetes, high blood pressure and other ailments.

    At the opening ceremony, which took place at Hotel Presidential, the chairman of the occasion, His Royal Majesty, King Alfred Diette Spiff, the former governor of old Rivers State, thanked the society for its contribution to humanity and urged them to continue to play an important role in the administration and development of the health sector.

    The chairman of Rivers chapter of PSN, Chukunda Godson, said the greatest challenge confronting genuine pharmacy practice is the menace of quack pharmacists. He said the organisation cannot fight the issue of quacks alone but pharmacists have to be particularly knowledgeable enough to be able to identify and isolate nonprofessionals in their midst.

    “These people are agent of destruction, they are evil and they want to take over the society that is the more reason why everybody must be involve in the fight against quacks.

    “The major stakeholder in the health sector, pharmacists in community practice, hospitals, academia, industry, administration and other areas of the Nigerian economy, are continuously involved in the delivery of quality service in line with the ethics of the profession.

    “Our professional and social responsibilities remain sacrosanct in the numerous activities we engage in including safe drug use campaigns, education and enlightenment programmes on the prevention and management of diseases (HIV/AIDS and Ebola inclusive) and free health outreach missions to rural communities.

    While commending Governor Rotimi Amaechi for donating a bus to PSN, a gesture, which, he said, ameliorated their transport challenges, he noted the state remains the only state in the federation whose task force on fake and counterfeit products and illegal premises still operated with hired buses, adding: “This situation does not speak well for us. Our people are at risk of these fake and counterfeit products if the task force is not sufficiently mobilised for effectiveness and efficiency.”

    He also highlighted the hindrances preventing the organisation from reaching out to more communities during Pharmacy Week, saying: “The human and material demands of these programmes are usually enormous. The major constraints in our desire to reach out to more communities and towns in the state have been finance and logistics.”

     

  • NIPR to battle quacks

    NIPR to battle quacks

    The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has drawn a battle line with unregistered public relations (PR) practitioners.

    The institute said it would make it a criminal offence for people to practise Public Relations without qualifications and those found wanting, will be prosecuted.

    This, according to the body, is to curtail the activities of quacks in the industry.

    The Chairman, NIPR Abuja Chapter, Ohaeri Osondu, during a visit to The Nation in Abuja office.

    He said the NIPR chartered decree 16 of June 1990 regulates the practice of public relations, has the responsibility to determine who practises PR, in line with the ethics of the profession.

    He said: “In line with this, NIPR is going to have a robust structure that will address quackery. First of all, we will tame and rehabilitate quacks and the willing ones will be assimilated, then the unwilling ones, who fail to utilise the window of opportunity opened to them, will be sanctioned, prosecuted and dealt with.

    “We have a committee at the national level called advocacy, enforcement and compliance committee, this committee is made up of formidable practitioners from the military, paramilitary, police, civil service and as well as private sector. For example, we can give the grace of 90 or 180 days as the case may be as window of opportunity for retraining.

    “There will also be enlightenment programmes, after that entire window is shot; we go to prosecution which is enforcement and compliance.”

    Osondu also said that NIPR is seeking to work with The Nation in sensitising the public because PR messages meant for a larger audience can only be made possible through the print, which The Nation Newspaper is a frontier.

    Deputy Editor, The Nation’s newspaper, the nation’s capital, Yomi Odunuga, stated that the job of the media is to disseminate information to as many people as possible by projecting all parts of the story and giving credence to whomever it should be given to.

    Odunuga urged NIPR to clearly differentiate between media consultants from Public Relations consultants to avoid making wrong arrests.

    In his words, “I am bothered because when you say that you are in public relations, people tend to mix the media with public relations. The managerial position of NIPR is to know the difference so you will not just go and arrest a media consultant and think that you are arresting someone that is practising public relations.

    He also told them to ensure that they educate the government on the responsibility and right of every individual.

  • Estate agents association tasked to check quacks

    Lagos State residents and real estate investors have been warned against the activities of dubious estate agents who are already marketing a yet to be launched real estate property of the Lagos State Government.

    Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Housing, Hon. Jimoh Ajao, who raised the alarm at the formal launch of the Association of Estate Agents in Nigeria (AEAN) by the parent body, the Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, charged the newly inaugurated Interim Board to work with the Lagos State Real Estate Transaction Department to check the quacks in the industry.

    Expressing concerns on a seeming absence of regulation in the practice of Estate agency, Ajao said, “It is a source of worry that estate agency practice seems to be open to everyone and dubious persons are taking advantage of this to fleece innocent members of the public. The activities of the fraudsters is so alarming that even the properties of the Lagos State Government which is yet to be launched are being marketed. The Lagos State Real Estate Transaction Department was set up to ensure transparency, accountability and inspire confidence in the real estate industry.”

    The President of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Mr. Emeka Eleh, also charged members to work to ensure the realisation of the cardinal objectives of ensuring standardisation, regulation and professionalism in order to restore confidence in the Real Estate industry.

    “What we are doing here today has been long in coming, because we have always believed that estate agency practice must be regulated. NIESV is interested in ensuring that in closing real estate deals, people must have the same confidence in the Estate agent as they now have in members of NIESV”, Eleh remarked.

     

  • CRFFN cracks down on quacks

    The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has said it will crack down on quacks at the ports.

    Its Registrar, Sir Mike Jukwe, said collection of Identity Cards, which lapsed on December 31, this year, could be get at their offices in Apapa–Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt for their members.

    “The CRFFN enforcement team along with law enforcement agencies will from next month carry out raids of quacks and those without the identity cards from the nation’s cargo ports for prosecution,” he said.

    He also said the maiden Register of Freight Forwarders comprised those registered with the Council by the end of last year would soon be published in the Official Gazette.

    Jukwe urged members of the Council to renew their practising licences before the end of the first quarter of the year.

    “Please take note that renewal of practising licence will be subject to participation in the Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MPCD) programme to be held quarterly by the Nigerian Institute of Freight Forwarding (NIFF), which details will be released in due course,” he said.