Benue Attributes Medical Quackery To Lack Of Enabling Laws

The Benue State Government has said the lack of enabling laws is the major hindrance to the fight against medical quackery in the state.

The Director of Medical Services in the state Ministry of Health, Dr. Ijir Francis revealed this during a town hall meeting of the Nigerian Medical Association’s National Executive Committee meeting held in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

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He said: “We find it difficult to clamp down on illegal health facilities operators and permanently seal off such facilities because of the absence of a defined law to seal such property.”

While stressing on the theme of the discourse entitled, “Winning the war on medical quacks: the way forward,” the director who also spoke on behalf of the state’s Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria appealed to relevant authorities to enact a law that would enforce the sealing of illegal health facilities.

“We don’t have the enabling law to seal the places we closed down and that’s a major challenge. There is no clear defined law that empowers the state to actually seal off illegal health facilities in the state. We’re not mandated to do so.

“There should be a law to mandate us to seal a facility that is operating illegally. Therefore, we are advocating for enabling law that would help the state have legal backing to regulate and acquire seal to close down health facilities operators operating illegally in the state. Most of these health facilities are not registered and not licenced to operate,” Francis added.

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The medical director also disclosed that despite the impediment, the state government had shut down three illegal health facilities operated by alleged quack doctors in different locations of the state.
He further said the government has threatened to go after health facilities operators operating without medical or expired licences.

The National President of the Nigeria Medical Association, Professor Francis Adebayo Faduyile in his comment called for synergy among stakeholders in the sector.

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