The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, on Thursday, urged the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria to eliminate quackery from the profession.
Iziaq made the call during his visit to the board in Abuja while emphasising that combating quackery in healthcare delivery is one of the government’s top priorities.
Salako stated that as a registration and regulatory body, the board is responsible for preventing quacks from practicing in the profession.
“You have the law of the country behind you. So, I want you to be more innovative and forthcoming in ensuring that it is only people who are qualified to practice as radiographers do. Also, only facilities that are properly registered are providing such services in our country.
“This is because once you have a quack providing services, apart from the fact that he’s not bound by any ethics, it means he can do anything, and if he does, you do not have any ethical control over him.”
The minister urged the board to strengthen its monitoring and enforcement efforts to ensure that only qualified individuals practice radiography.
Salako also recognised the critical role of radiography in healthcare and commended the board for its efforts in utilising digital technology to streamline processes.
On his part, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the RRBN, Prof Mark Okeji stated that the board conducts monitoring activities nationwide to combat quackery in the profession, as quackery can result in misdiagnosis and uncontrolled radiation exposure to citizens.
He said the board currently has 4,632 radiographers on its register, but many are leaving the country for better opportunities due to the brain drain syndrome.
Meanwhile, he stated that to address the issue, the board had doubled its quota to universities to better balance the country’s manpower needs.
“We have also encouraged the establishment of more B.Sc. programmes in Nigerian universities since I assumed office. We have 40 universities offering radiography now from the initial nine when I took over and most are at various stages and will start graduation soon,” he said.
He highlighted that the board’s activities include overseeing the professional training of radiographers at universities across Nigeria, registering qualified radiographers, and conducting monitoring and enforcement.
However, Okeji acknowledged that the board faces challenges such as inadequate office accommodation, insufficient monitoring and enforcement vehicles, and limited funding for these activities.
“The board currently has four vehicles for monitoring and enforcement activities. This is grossly inadequate for the coverage of the entire country. The vehicles are currently stationed in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, and Enugu, leaving the other offices in Sokoto, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Awka, and llesha without official vehicles.
“We need an increase in our appropriation to enable us to procure more vehicles to ensure strict monitoring to flush out quackery in Nigeria,” he added.