C’River Anti-quackery Taskforce seeks NUJ collaboration on health quality advocacy

The State Taskforce on Health Quality and Anti-quackery has sought collaboration with the Cross River Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in order to strengthen advocacy on health quality as well as nib all forms of quackery in the bud.

The Taskforce made the partnership request when its coordinator led a five-member delegation on a courtesy visit to the state NUJ leadership, recently, at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre in Calabar.

Speaking to the NUJ leaders, the State Coordinator of the Taskforce, Dr Dan Abubakar, said the body was inaugurated on 14th March 2024, at the behest of the State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, to enforce adherence to guidelines that promote health quality, promote and facilitate accreditation of the state’s health institutions, regulate and streamline free medical outreaches in the state, among others.

Attributing the high rate of cancer, kidney and liver diseases to the patronage of substandard health services, Dr Abubakar appealed to the media professionals to lend their expertise in re-orienting the public from unprofessional health services in the state.

He said his team is doing a lot in terms of advocacy to health stakeholders like hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and even patent medicine dealers, as well as disabusing the public of the idea of patronising quacks for their healthcare needs.

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In her response, the Chairman of the state council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Comrade Archibong Bassey, welcomed the team to the secretariat of the NUJ and thanked them for deeming it necessary to partner with journalists in the fight against quackery in Cross River state.

She lauded the force’s proactive efforts, which she described as a welcome development that will enhance health quality for the benefit of citizens and residents of the state.

She assured of Cross River NUJ’s preparedness to partner with the Anti-quackery team in sensitising the public and deepening advocacy against quackery in the health sector of the state.

“We will do our best to complement government efforts in repositioning the health sector,” noting that the present administration is already doing a lot to improve the all-important sector.