From Saka Bolaji, Minna
Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has challenged professionals in health sector in the country to check the increasing rate of quackery, complaining that many people have been victims of wrong diagnoses.
He also decried the high mortality rate of pregnant women, new born and children, saying the development is not acceptable and should be curtailed.
He threw these challenges at the weekend when he hosted the national executive council of the Society of Obstetric and Gynaecology of Nigeria (SOGON) led by its National President, Prof. Joseph Biran Adinma, in Minna, the state capital.
The governor decried the situation where people are wrongly diagnosed of an ailment and medications applied without healing forcing such victims to seek second opinion and found to have been wrongly diagnosed.
His words: “One disturbing trend in the health sector is the growing rate of wrong diagnoses of ailment. I know a person who was diagnosed of diabetics and was treated without improvement and on seeking for another medical examination, he was said not to have diabetic problem.
“Many people have been victims of this costly mistake and as a civilised people things cannot continue like this. Professional bodies in the health and medical sector should rise to the occasion, curtail the trend and restore public confidence in the sector,” Governor Sani Bello advised.
The governor also decried the high mortality rate among pregnant women and new born, hence he called on the SOGON to come to the aid of the state, especially in the Primary Health Care delivery level.
According to the governor, “In other countries, when a pregnant woman dies, many investigations are carried out, but here in our country we just bury them as soon as they die and just continue as if nothing happened. This must stop and SOGON must be in the forefront of this crusade”.
He said government was prepared to collaborate with SOGON for capacity building of health workers in the state as his administration is committed to an improved health care delivery in the state.
Prof. Adinma offered the society’s readiness to assist the state in capacity building of its health workers in her quest to improve service delivery.
Prof. Adinma commended Dr. Amina Sani Bello, wife of the state governor, a member of SOGON for her selfless service by offering free medical services through regular consultation and carrying out surgeries.
He then pledged that the society will make a showcase of the state by offering its services especially at the primary health care delivery level.
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