Health minister launches ‘doctor’s stamp’ to check quackery

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has launched doctor’s stamp to check quackery in Nigeria. He said that the initiative would help in authenticating and validating doctors in the profession.

The stamp, carrying NMA’s logo, contains the name of the practitioner, identification number, year of joining the profession and other security features, which could only be seen through ultraviolet light.

Adewole, who launched the stamp during yearly general meeting of NMA in Kaduna, also said the Federal Government was committed to improving on the budget for health in a gradual manner.

He said: “As you know, we are just getting out of recession, and for this reason, we have to be strategic.

“One of the things we also want to do is to get value for money by investing in health facility so as to curtail the habit of travelling abroad for medication. We also want to engage more local manufacturers to produce healthcare products and service delivery in Nigeria and when that is done, it can save money and also create jobs.

“What we are also doing is to engage our people in Diaspora to contribute in our health sector in Nigeria so that the brain drain will become a brain gain.

Meanwhile, President of NMA, Prof. Mike O. Ogrima, described the launched device as an effective means of flushing out quacks in the profession.

He further called on the Federal Government to improve on funding of the health sector, saying that once that is done, a lot of health issues in Nigeria will fizzle out over time.

Ogrima, who commented on the theme of the AGM, “Preparing for Epidemic in Nigeria: The role of healthcare financing,” described it as timely and reality of approach to health issues in the country.

He said: “It is also important because we are here to discuss health issues that can benefit the country as well as we in NMA to socialise and to provide to government workable suggestions on how we can improve the health of the country.”