Minister: Quacks in the medical field are pushing for organ harvesting

Dr. Tunji Alausa, the state minister for health, has bemoaned the presence of quacks in the medical field and claimed that these quacks are to blame for the nation’s despicable organ harvesting industry.

Alausa stated that in order to assure better service delivery and get rid of quacks, the federal government will shortly draft legislation regulating the healthcare industry.

This was said by the minister on Friday during a courtesy visit to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun at the Presidential Lodge in the state capital of Abeokuta.

The minister criticized the practice of allowing inexperienced individuals to work in the medical field.

He bemoaned the presence of quacks, from whom awful deeds are perpetrated, such organ harvesting.

The minister declared, “We will be pressing for a new rule to govern the healthcare industry as the private sector now provides more than 60% of the country’s healthcare without sufficient monitoring.

“You see diagnostic centers, hospitals, and labs operating without anyone monitoring their operations; these are some of the locations where illicit activities, such as organ harvesting, are occurring.

“We expect the states to set up their regulatory bodies as well. At the federal level, we will establish a Health Facility Regulatory Commission that will begin regulating the standard of health care across the nation.”

Alausa also made hints that the Federal Government was launching a program to boost the number of healthcare practitioners. The initiative would start with the admission of 10,000 medical students annually and raise the number of nurses admitted from 28,000 to 68,000 annually.

Giving additional details about the Sectoral Approach Program that President Bola Tinubu had introduced, the minister said that 1% of the consolidated fund went toward Basic Health Provision, 55% went toward Primary Healthcare Centers, 45% went toward National Health Insurance, and 5% went toward Emergency Services.

He stated that Ogun State has managed the Basic Health Provision Funds for Primary Healthcare Centers with diligence, and he urged the governor to keep a close eye on the fund to make sure it is used for the intended purposes.

According to Alausa, the purpose of his visit was to ascertain how the federal government would fortify its ties with state governments in order to advance the President’s directive to revitalize, restructure, assess, and completely transform the healthcare delivery system for the benefit of Nigerians.

During his speech, Abiodun declared that his administration would not think twice about copying any Federal Government initiative meant to end quackery in the medical field.

“Let me reassure you that we will not hesitate to reproduce at the state level the rule that would allow for greater regulatory functions over medical practitioners to combat quackery.

“We are one of the two states that established an alternative medicine board after seeing that many of our citizens, particularly expectant mothers, were using traditional birth attendance. To make sure we have some kind of control over their operations, we certify and regulate them, according to Abiodun.

In order to address the shortage of medical personnel in government health facilities, he expressed his delight that the federal government was investigating the possibility of increasing the number of admission in the country’s medical institutions. He also promised that the state would follow suit in order to produce more skilled practitioners for the industry.

Governor Abiodun pledged to support President Bola Tinubu’s plan to reposition the health sector while pointing out that, given the state’s status as Nigeria’s industrial, educational, and religious center and the constant influx of new residents, it is essential to have enough medical facilities and trained personnel on hand to always provide health care services to the populace.

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