ANPMP Ogun State Strengthens Opposition to Quackery and Promotes Public Safety

ANPMP Ogun State Strengthens Opposition to Quackery and Promotes Public Safety

By Naomisophyblog

The Association of Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (ANPMP), Ogun State Chapter, once again calls the attention of the Ogun State Government and the general public to the escalating menace of quackery threatening the safety of our citizens. The association remains firmly committed to defending the integrity of medical practice and protecting the lives of the people of Ogun State.

Over the past few months, ANPMP has followed several disturbing cases involving individuals impersonating medical doctors and carrying out dangerous, illegal medical procedures. These include:

• The convicted quack was recently sentenced to four years in prison for a failed hernia surgery that endangered a patient’s life;

• The fraudulent impersonator who deceived patients and authorities by posing as a licensed doctor, and

• The recent shocking case of a quack who employs qualified doctors to lend false legitimacy to his unlawful operations.

These alarming incidents demonstrate how deeply quackery has infiltrated our health system and the urgent need to restore sanity.

It has come to our attention that many of these quacks are Community Health Officers (CHOs) who have been wrongly permitted by the Ogun State Ministry of Health to register and operate health facilities, despite this being contrary to the Ogun State Private Health Institutions Registration and Regulation Edict.

For clarity, the Edict clearly provides that:

• Only registered medical practitioners may own and operate hospitals, and

• Only registered nurses may operate maternity homes or clinics.

Any attempt, direct or indirect, to alter this law to include unqualified cadres such as CHOs is unlawful, unethical, and dangerous. The ANPMP warns that such a move would undermine public trust, compromise patient safety, and further endanger lives.

Challenge to the Ministry of Health

The ANPMP Ogun State Chapter hereby challenges the Ogun State Ministry of Health to immediately reverse this unlawful decision that allows CHOs and other unqualified persons to own and operate health facilities in the state.

We call on the Ministry to shut down all such illegally registered facilities without delay and to enforce compliance with the existing Edict. The Ministry, more than anyone else, should know that when you give these people an inch, they take a mile, and that no effective monitoring framework exists to control their excesses.

Our field investigations across Ogun State have revealed that there is hardly any male CHO operating a facility who does not impersonate a doctor or engage in procedures far beyond their training and professional competence.

The consequences are tragic:

• The so-called “Dr Afeez” recently sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for performing surgeries on innocent people is a CHEW;

• The fake doctor now in court for running an unregistered facility where multiple surgical patients were found is also a CHEW;

• The facility in Owode-Idiroko, where a surgery last year led to the loss of a patient’s life, is owned and run by a Community Health Officer (CHO) — yet it is back in operation again.

These killer centres must be shut down immediately. All cadres of healthcare workers must be made to operate strictly within the scope of their training, certification, and the laws of the land.

Our people are the victims — we all are the victims — as it is now increasingly difficult to distinguish genuine doctors from impostors in Ogun State. We can no longer continue to allow unqualified persons to open health facilities for financial gain and sacrifice our people on the altar of greed.

Clarification of the Law and Scope of Practice for CHOs and CHEWs

It is important to restate the provisions of the Community Health Practitioners (Registration, etc.) Act, CAP C19, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, which establishes the Community Health Practitioners Board of Nigeria and defines the scope of duties of Community Health Officers (CHOs) and Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs).

According to the Act, CHOs and CHEWs are trained primarily to provide preventive, promotive, and limited curative services at the primary healthcare level, under the supervision of a registered medical practitioner. They are not authorised to own, operate, or manage hospitals, surgical centres, or other secondary health facilities.

In the same vein, the Ogun State Private Health Institutions Registration and Regulation Edict (1988) expressly stipulates that only registered medical practitioners may own and operate hospitals, while registered nurses may operate maternity or nursing homes.

Therefore, any attempt to register or license CHOs or CHEWs as proprietors of private health facilities stands in direct violation of both federal and state laws and must be reversed immediately.

Call to State Leadership and Well-Meaning Citizens

We hereby call on the Governor of Ogun State, the Honourable Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, all political leaders, community leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations, and well-meaning persons across Ogun State to join us to stop this mindless slaughter.

We cannot predict who the next victim will be. United action is required now to protect our communities and restore safety to the state’s healthcare system.

Warning to Doctors

The ANPMP Ogun State Chapter also wishes to warn all medical doctors in Ogun State and across Nigeria to desist from lending their professional identity or acting as “supervising doctors” for CHOs or any unqualified persons seeking to register health facilities.

Any doctor currently engaged in such unethical arrangements is hereby given four (4) weeks to withdraw from such agreements and formally notify the Ministry of Health of their withdrawal.

Failure to comply will attract serious disciplinary action. The ANPMP will not hesitate to report any erring doctor to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) for prosecution before the Disciplinary Tribunal, in line with the Code of Medical Ethics in Nigeria. Sanctions may include suspension or delisting from the medical register.

The ANPMP reaffirms its commitment to work with the Ogun State Government, the Ministry of Health, law enforcement agencies, and the general public to eliminate quackery, restore confidence in the healthcare system, and protect the lives of our people.

The health and safety of our citizens must never be compromised.