The Cross River House of Assembly has passed a bill prohibiting quackery in the state’s health sector to curb illegal medical practice and protect residents from unqualified practitioners.
The legislation, sponsored by the Deputy Leader, Dr Davies Etta, also established a Health Monitoring Task Force to strengthen healthcare regulation across the state.
The bill scaled third reading after lawmakers adopted the report of the House Committee on Health, Nutrition and Food Security during plenary on Wednesday.
Presenting the report, the committee’s Chairman, Mr Hillary Bisong, Member Representing Boki 2 State Constituency said the legislation would eliminate unlicensed medical practice and improve healthcare standards.
Bisong said the committee held a public hearing where health professionals, civil society organisations and residents expressed overwhelming support for the proposed law.
He said the bill became necessary because fake practitioners had caused wrong diagnoses, poor treatment, avoidable deaths and eroded public confidence in healthcare services.
According to him, the committee expanded the bill from three parts and 10 sections to four parts and 15 sections for greater effectiveness.
“Also, enforcement will align with existing national laws regulating medical and allied health professions to ensure seamless implementation.”
Contributing to the debate, lawmakers described the bill as timely, saying it would strengthen healthcare delivery through stricter regulation and improved enforcement.
They noted that recent cases involving unqualified persons performing medical procedures underscored the urgent need to tackle quackery in the health sector.
Speaker of the assembly, Mr Elvert Ayambem described the legislation as one of the landmark private members’ bills of the 10th Assembly and commended its sponsor.
The House subsequently considered the bill clause-by-clause in the Committee of the Whole before unanimously adopting the committee’s recommendations.
The assembly thereafter passed the bill after its third reading and directed that a clean copy be forwarded to the governor for assent.
(The Whistler)