The Newly elected Chairman of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Enugu State, Dr Celestine Ugwuoke, has pledged to combat medical quacks within the state.
Ugwuoke made the pledge in Enugu on Monday after being sworn-in in a keenly contested election to elect a new executive of the association in the state.
He said that medical quacks had caused a lot of damage to the profession and led to the death of several unsuspecting residents and “it seems no concerted efforts to check this negative development”.
According to him, NMA will partner with the government through the state house of assembly, the executive, security agencies and other medical professional bodies to see that we fight medical quackery in Enugu State.
“Medical quackery is a silent but devastating killer of a lot of people and still killing because those doing it had remained unrepentant after causing families to lose loved ones and complicating patients’ medical conditions.
“I have witnessed a lot of unqualified persons claiming what they are not in health facilities within the state.
“Even some medical professionals take up tasks or medical operations like surgery beyond their training; which is supposed to be reserved for medical consultants in various specialised fields,” he said.
The new chairman noted that the NMA would push further through the state house of assembly to make a law with stiffer penalties against those engaging in medical quackery in the state.
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Ugwuoke, popularly known as Dr Nice Man, said that after pushing to pass the law; NMA would press on the government to establish an agency that would be saddled with the responsibility of fighting medical quacks.
“The agency will be made of members from various medical professional backgrounds to make it all-compassing and then get rid of all forms of medical quacks and other professional malpractices.
“Individual doctors, the NMA and concerned citizens can do little without effective law, government and security agencies backing to fight these quacks to a standstill.
“I know the bitter experience some NMA members got trying fighting these impostors on their own and within two weeks in custody, the quacks find their way back to their nefarious activities,” he said.
He noted that fighting quack would not only sanitise the system but ensure government revenue as hospitals and health facilities would get duly licensed and pay renewal of license fees as well.
In the keenly contested election; Dr Esther Ekwe, emerged unopposed as Deputy Chairman; Dr Sunday Okafor emerged as Secretary and Dr Lilian Ezugwu as Assistant Secretary.
Others are; Dr Nelson Agbo as Treasurer; Dr Patrick Nwachukwu as Financial Secretary; Dr Ijeoma Charles-Ugwuagbo as Publicity Secretary and Dr Nnamdi Ezugworie, who emerged unopposed as Social Secretary.
The newly elected NMA executives would run the affairs of the association in the state for two years.
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