The Federal Government has challenged the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to take stronger action against quackery and unethical practices within the medical profession, warning that professional solidarity must not come at the expense of patients’ lives.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, gave the charge on Wednesday while speaking at the opening of the National Executive Council meeting of the NMA in Abuja.
Salako, who spoke on the theme, “Transforming Healthcare Practice in Nigeria: Building Trust, Accountability and Collaborative Excellence,” said the fight against quackery could not be won by government regulation alone.
He urged the NMA to establish a standing joint anti-quackery mechanism with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and security agencies.
“Quackery is not a nuisance; it is homicide by instalment,” the minister declared.
He said doctors were often in the best position to identify unqualified practitioners operating within their communities and called on the profession to match government enforcement efforts with visible internal discipline.
“The quack in the neighbourhood is usually known to the doctors in that neighbourhood. The unlicensed clinic often has a licensed name over its door,” Salako said.
He also warned against practices capable of eroding public confidence in the medical profession, including absenteeism, diversion of public patients to private facilities, informal payments and shielding colleagues accused of harming patients.
“Government has a responsibility to always protect the health of the public and will never sacrifice this duty on the altar of professional solidarity,” he said.
