The persistence of Quackery in Nigeria has been as a result of the lax prosecution system for perpetrators of the menace. In fact, the head of Otolaryngology department, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Dr. James Akpeh indicated that the failure to prosecute perpetrators of medical quackery has increasingly fueled the practice across the country. Speaking at the annual general meeting of the Nigerian Medical Association which was titled “The menace of quackery and the contemporary medical practice”, he noted that the government’s inability to ensure quality healthcare had also increased the vulnerability.
With quackery becoming increasingly rampant within the country, the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) has however indicated their plans to curb quacks within management system practice in the country. The organization stated that this move was posed to end the unscrupulous acts where individuals shortchanged companies and other individuals. It was noted that most of the practitioners in the management system practice lacked the needed competent qualification to navigate operations in the management system sector.
Conformity assessment practice necessary to sustain commercial development.
Malam Farouk Salim, the Director General of SON, whilst in a one-day stakeholders engagement for the National Register of Conformity Assessment Practitioner (NRCAP) in Lagos, said that the engagement of the stakeholders forum was immensely important to further emphasize the conformity assessment practice, as central for the sustainable commercial development within every sector. He noted that the importance of the management system practitioners was a major factor in ensuring that the practices carried out by the industries aligned with international best practices.
He indicated that the lack of rules and regulations of practitioners’ activities evident over the years had negatively affected the industry and country at large. Some of these impacts included poor protection of real practitioners as a result of the negative effects of the unhealthy competitions by the quacks, as well as the lack of visibility of competent practitioners which was genuinely affecting patronage and collaborations for an enhanced Trade relationships, as well as the poor money value for ignorant customers who patronized these services.
Registration processes are being implemented to ensure impartial process.
The Director General emphasized that the unavailability of an official register for quality practitioners to support national planning of the economic activities that focused on standardization and quality assurance was one big problem which was impacting professional management system in the country. This engagement, he noted, was shaped by a strategic partnership of SON with numerous institutions, especially the SON Management Systems Certificate and Training Services. Salim noted that the registration process, which included approved guidelines were being implemented to ensure an impartial process.
Again, he stressed that the impartiality committee members were from critical industries of the Economy such as the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Federal Competition and Customers Protection Commission (FCCPC), NACCIMA and others adequately trained to handle this task. The DG assured that these were put in place to protect the integrity of the registration process. He stressed that this process would enhance the mutual responsibility of SON and the critical stakeholders in ensuring nation-building.
SON promises to work toward purging quacks in the system.
The first president of the Society for Management System Practitioners of Nigeria, Engineer. Bode Oke assured that the group was willing to join forces with SON to purge quacks in the system, to ensure that customers get the value for their money. He explained that the importance of practitioners were immensely valuable in business growth and development, stating that system practitioners responsively helped companies through quality management system certification, environmental management system certification and food management system certification.
