Auxiliary nurses are now threat to medical profession, says Nigerian Doctors

The Nigerian Medical Practitioners under the banner of Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (ANPMP) have raised alarm over influx of auxiliary nurses, who they alleged to be threat to their profession.

Penpsuhing reports that, Ogun State Chapter Chairman of the body, Dr Oluwakayode Oyelade made this known at a press conference in Ota, expressing concern over situation where auxiliary nurses open medical facilities and embark on doing surgery for innocent patients.”

The chairman of body of private Medical Doctors lamented that the proliferation of quacks has contributed medical hazards in Ogun State, is greatly to perinatal outcomes, mortality, and morbidity, and therefore called on Governor  to intervene on the issue.

Penpushing further reports that Oyelade, pointed out that majority of the auxiliary nurses are fraudulent pretenders who claim to have medical skill, knowledge, qualifications or credentials they do not possess as a Medical Doctor.

“We have in a situation where auxiliary nurses open medical facilities and embark on doing surgery for innocent patients. And these are health assistants trained informally by doctors and qualified nurses for a period between two to three years to dispense drugs, give injections, check vital signs and carry out elementary nursing jobs.

“After training, they’re presented with certificates. The males are called doctors by the residents and so, they succeed in opening hospitals in the state, of which is contrary to the law of the profesion’, Oyelade emphasized

Penpushing also reports that, chairman of the association pointed out that hundreds of innocent souls were being killed by the quacks on a daily as a result of their unprofessional activities within the state, urging the government to take urgent actions by establishing monitoring units to enforce and clamp down on illegal medical facilities in the state.

“The numbers of victims of quackery in the state cannot be over emphasised as thousands of residents seek quacks on daily basis ignorantly. We have our signs.The Orange signs on signage given by the Ministry of Health in the state, but these signs are not being monitored by the government and these quacks are taking undue advantages of innocent people out there” he said.

Penpushing reports that, Secretary of the association, Dr Akin Oyejoko in his own contributions urged the residents to be very careful when seeking medical attention at any facility in the neighborhood, stressing that there is difference between clinics and hospital.

“There’s difference between clinics and hospitals. We have a scenario where those who are neither nurses nor doctors open facilities and call them hospitals. They start operating and performing the functions of medical doctors.

‘All these activities are illegal and dangerous to the people especially those seeking their services.We are calling Prince Dapo Abiodun, the governor of the state, to be proactive in finding lasting solutions to this menace of quackery in the state,” he said.

Penpushing further reports that Chairman of Ota branch of the body, Dr Seye Olufunsho  in his own remarks  equally  appealed to the state government to establish a taskforce to eradicate the deadly quackery activities within the state.

The branch chairman alleged that Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and Mission Home Attendants are also perpetrating the illegal medical services, adding that they are locally trained to assist in delivery, but turned themselves to qualified medical personnel

‘This group are locally trained to assist in delivery, they’re called “Iya Agbebis” but some of them, by interacting with nurses, now set up infusions, administer injections and even treat ailments with medical and herbal products”, he said.

Penpushing also reports that, Olufunsho said that mission attendants are faith specialists and prayer warriors who rely on divine intervention in giving care, but churches now have delivery bays where they convince expectant mothers in the church to put to bed.

‘I won’t bother to talk about herbalists, spiritualists and many of who now attend to the medical and natal needs of the people using herbs, concoction, holy water and others to cure illnesses,” he emphasised.

Penpushing also reports that, he noted  that quacks were operating as a result of the ineptitude and lack of political will of the government and its agents at all levels to inspect, monitor and enforce the law for the benefit of the citizens.

‘Hundreds of people are being killed on a daily basis by the process of trial and error treatment given by these quacks and it is also affecting the medical system. The state government can put end to these preventable deaths’, he stated.

‘That’s why we are begging the government, both federal and the state, to come to the rescue of the people by clamping down on these illegal medical facilities in the state. There are laws, many laws to make sure that charlatans and quacks never emerge,” he said.

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