Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu
The
Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria has dragged 20 persons to court
for claiming and operating as medical doctors without requisite training
and qualification.
The council also suspended its
accreditation to the College of Health Sciences, Igbinedion University,
Okada, for failing to meet the required standards.
The MDCN Registrar/Chief Executive, Dr.
Abdulmumini Ibrahim, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja during the
induction of 395 medical doctors and dentists.
He said, “We have a new unit called the
Monitoring and Inspectorate Department in the secretariat, which is
responsible for cracking down on individuals involved in quackery.
Currently, we have about 20 cases pending in courts and all have to do
with quackery where people parade themselves as doctors.
“They were arrested and prosecuted, that
is why they are in court. Whether they are on bail or not on bail is
another issue. We have succeeded in arresting them. They were arrested
by the state monitoring committees, then the council secretariat was
invited as a witness to testify in court.”
Ibrahim particularly pointed to a case in Lagos where a rusticated medical student was parading himself as a doctor.
The suspect, he said, could not complete his training overseas and he returned to Nigeria claiming to be a medical doctor.
On restoring standards in the profession, Ibrahim said the council was committed to living above aboard.
He said, “Failure of some medical/dental
institutions to meet the quality assurance requirements of council
resulted in withdrawal or suspension of accreditation. In this regard,
the case of the College of Health Sciences at Igbinedion University,
Okada in Edo State readily comes to mind.
“The accreditation of this institution
was suspended for gross violation of the council regulations on
operation of medical/dental institutions, especially in approved
students’ quota. This institution was barred from admitting medical
students since August 2010. This sanction will remain enforced until all
pending cases are resolved.”
Ibrahim, however, noted that Igbinedion University was not the only culprit.
He said, “There are standards and
guidelines put in place by the council. But if any of these institutions
are found violating any of these guidelines, we will revisit that
medical school. If they do not really address the issues, we will slam
suspension before we withdraw accreditation. Currently, Igbinedion
University is in that category; and the council has given its management
a two-year timeline for correction.
“If its management corrects the
anomalies within the period, then the council will reinstate the
accreditation. Currently, Igbinedion University should not be admitting
students and should not be graduating students. There are students that
in their final years, after writing their final exams, they must be
subjected to these professional examinations.”
“In 2011, we suspended about 11 medical
schools and they were given time limits to address those issues that
have been violated. Nine of them were able to address the issues within
the time, except Igbinedion University and University of Benin. However,
UNIBEN was able to address those issues after a period. For now, it is
only Igbinedion University that is becoming recalcitrant and it is
lingering too much.”
PUNCH
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