The recent exposure of one Mr. Martin Ugwu Okpe,
who impersonated his friend, Dr George Davidson Daniel to work as a medical
Officer in the Federal Ministry of Health for nine years in the department of Health, planning, research and
statistics as a grade twelve officer, whilst also heading the chapter of the
Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) brings to the fore the porous system that
would allow an impersonator ply his trade within the nerve center of the
national health care system.
Several Nigerians have fallen
victims or may know a relative, friend or acquaintance who has fallen victim to
these quakes, These fake doctors in some cases are dropouts from medical
schools, auxiliary nurses who have trained under licensed medical practitioners
or pure imposters, who may have worked in pharmacies or other medical
institutions.
Here are a few tips
that might come in handy in spotting Quake Doctors.
·
When you visit a hospital or clinic, look out
for a license, usually issued by the State Ministry of Health; where you don’t
see one on display ask to see their license. If they do not have one, be wary
of patronizing such an establishment.
I have been told
that a lot of state ministries of health who are mandated by law to provide licenses
of practice to proprietors of hospitals and clinics, do not have an inventory
of all medical facilities in their domain, as a number of them do not even have
websites that display a list of licensed clinics and hospitals in their states.
There is also a lot of bureaucratic red tape by these state ministries of
health, in issuing licenses to applicants.
·
Take into consideration the doctor’s mannerisms
during the hospital visit, is he or she able to explain to you the process of
the ailment, symptoms and the basis why the doctor has chosen the course of
treatment.
·
Be wary, if the doctor is not self-assured and knowledgeable,
and behaves in a shifty and forgetful manner.
·
Be wary, if the doctor prescribes medication
without carrying out any physical examination or laboratory tests.
·
The doctor is reluctant to divulge the drugs,
that they are prescribing and confuse you with medical jargon.
·
The doctor diagnoses your illness as a spiritual
ailment and refers you to a prayer house.
·
The doctor promises you a miracle medical care,
that is not founded scientifically, or offers you a herbal concoction, that is
prepared by them in their facility.
What is the role of the Medical and Dental Council of
Nigeria in protecting the general public from these quake doctors? It states
its mandate as;
·
Regulation of training in Medicine, Dentistry
and Alternative medicine in Nigeria,
·
Regulation of Medical, Dental and Alternative
Medicine practice in Nigeria,
·
Determination of the knowledge and skills of
these professionals,
·
Regulation and control of laboratory Medicine in
Nigeria.
Every doctor operating legally in
the country is supposed to have a temporary or permanent license to practice,
issued by the MDCN, this also includes foreign doctors operating in the
country, the proliferation of quake doctors within the health care system, is a
symptom of the malaise that has affected the ability of the MDNC to effectively
monitor and regulate the activities of its members and to put in place strict
and efficient measures to sanitize the healthcare system.
In this age of information technology and compilation
of database by several government agencies, one will expect that the MDCN will
take advantage of this and have the Names, Photographs and Qualifications of
all licensed doctors and accredited clinics in the country listed out with
reference pictures, location and contact details on their website.
The NMA (Nigerian Medical
Association) also has a responsibility in ensuring that due diligence is done
on its members and it also provides information of the database of its members
online, so that imposters will not be able to take advantage of the general
public.
No comments:
Post a Comment