NMA condemns proliferation of trado-medical trade fairs in Abia

The Nigerian Medical Association, Abia chapter on Monday, expressed concern over the proliferation of trado-medical trade fairs in the state.
Dr Carol Iwuoha, Abia Chairman of NMA, made this known during the opening ceremony of the 2018 NMA Physicians’ Week at Michael Okpara Auditorium, Umuahia.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the week long event has as theme: “Universal Health Coverage: Leaving no one behind”.
Iwuoha said the proliferation had increased renal failure in the state.
He said: “The proliferation of all manner of acclaimed traditional healers in the state who flagrantly make bogus claims on their unverified abilities, through radio and television, has become worrisome.
“We are now more frequently confronted with cases of renal failure and some of these cases can be linked to the indiscriminate use of all manner of herbal substances.”
She called on Abia government to expedite action to check the activities of trado-medical operators, saying that their activities could be counterproductive on health programmes and Universal Health Coverage.
Iwuoha also called on stakeholders in the health sector to support the introduction of the ‘Doctors Stamp Policy’.
According to the chairman, the policy is a strategy, initiated by the Federal Government, to curb quackery in the medical profession.
She also said that the doctors’ stamp had been designed with several security features and appealed to agencies to accept doctors’ reports that had the approved doctor’s stamp.
In his remark, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu said that the state government would not relent in evolving health programmes and policies that would boost universal health coverage.
Ikpeazu, who was represented by his Deputy, Ude Oko-Chukwu, called on physicians to remain committed to effective and efficient health care delivery.
Earlier, Dr Osahon Enabulele, the keynote speaker, called for urgent need to reform UCH in Nigeria.
Enabulele also said that the dysfunctional state of National Health Insurance Scheme needed to be addressed in order to record the desired successes.
She said that medical tourism, inappropriate budgetary allocation and poor funding among others were limiting the reach of UCH in the country.
Enabulele said that for Nigeria to achieve UCH, it must address the constraints affecting NHIS through implementation of innovative measures and reforming the management of NHIS.