The National President, Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, (AMLSN) Dr. Casmir Ifeanyi yesterday said that there are many quacks in the different Government health institutions in Nigeria under the protection of both the State and Federal Government.

Dr. Ifeanyi made the observation during 18th Annual Public Lecture and NEC meeting of the Association in Abakaliki.

He said that the association is not worried about the quackery in the different private health institutions but the quackery in public health institutions across the country.

“Quackery in our health institutions poses a great changer to the patients and the society but the worry we have about quackery which we are complaining about is not the quackery that is happening in the private, that is easy to curtail.

“The quackery happening in public health institutions, those owned by government, that is a major trouble. We have tagged that guarded quackery. You are a quack under government protection.

“When you employ a zoologist and post him to be conducting testing, he is there protected by government as a quack. When you employ a Science Laboratory Technologist who is not a Medical Laboratory Scientist and you deploy him to medical laboratory and that is the case in many states of the federation, government is providing shield for quacks.

“When you employ those who studied Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology as single honours without any form of licencing and you deploy them to provide testing in any form or guide, that is guarded quackery by government.

‘We are up against them, we are raising alarm to the society to know that, that is the practice and to condemn it and to hold management of these hospitals to account to ensure that we do not have wrong persons dealing with testing.

He maintained that the only way to sten the tide of quackery is to carry the people; the victims and the likely victims along.

Dr. Ifeanyi called on President Bola Tinubu to quickly make a proclamation for the constitution and hence, inauguration of the governing boards of regulatory agencies in health especially that of the Medical Laboratory Council of Nigeria.

“It is the governing board that can set up the tribunal that will investigate and try a culprit. And for more than two years now, the Medical Laboratory Council of Nigeria has been without a board and therefore, the governing board disciplinary committee is now set in abeyance.

“We are all out for quacks. We have given out platforms for members of the public to bring reports on activities of persons they consider quacks or they think may have wronged them in cause of seeking service or cases of negligence which most times are perpetuated by quacks.

“I also want to say that most places people go to obtain testing or Medical Laboratory testing are not operated by our members neither are they registered with the Medical Laboratory Council of Nigeria and that is because we have retired the police, the governing board is the police.

“Government must restore the boards so the boards can carry out its mandate of regulating practitioners, regulating facilities, curbing malpractice.

“Testing is a very delicate and dexterity endeavour. It must be manned by somebody who has requisite training and licensed. It is not for charlatans, it is not an all comers endeavour.