By Asmau Ahmad
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Bauchi State chapter, said it had raised an anti-quackery committee to deal with illegal doctors in the state.
The state Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Sani, disclosed this when he led the NMA officials on a visit to the Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ) secretariat in Bauchi.
Dr. Sani said that the committee would visit health facilities, including private hospitals in the state to demonstrate the NMA`s resolve to curb the menace of quackery in the profession.
He said: “Anybody who knows a hospital or hospitals being operated by quack doctors should report same to the committee for immediate action.”
On the issue of dearth of doctors in state-owned hospitals, he said it was due to alleged poor remunerations being paid by the state government.
“You will realise that most of the state’s hospitals are not functioning due to the lack of adequate remuneration and most of the doctors do not stay in the service of state hospitals.
“One of our aims is to fight for improved remuneration so that doctors would stay in rural hospitals and take care of patients there. At the NMA level, we have set up a remuneration committee that will help us on this issue.
“Most of them have relocated to urban areas, especially referral hospitals and we want to pay a visit to the governor and table this matter,” he said.
In his response, NUJ Vice-Chairman, Musa Kobi, thanked the NMA for the visit and assured that members of the council would assist the association in publicising its activities, including the campaign against quack doctors.
