The State Coordinator of the Taskforce, Dr. Dan Abubakar (middle), State Chairman of NUJ, Comrade Archibong Bassey (2nd R) and others during the courtesy visit.
By Anietie Akpan
The State Taskforce on Health Quality and Anti-quackery has sought collaboration with the Cross River Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to fight quackery in the health sector.
A press release by the spokesman of the Taskforce, Kingsley Agim said this partnership was expedient 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 on the state NUJ leadership, recently, at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre in Calabar.
Addressing the NUJ leaders, the State Coordinator of the Taskforce, Dr. Dan Abubakar, said the body was inaugurated on March 14 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 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 disabuse the public of the idea of patronizing quacks for their healthcare needs.
He informed that the Taskforce had concluded arrangements to begin clampdown on illegal, unfit and unregistered health facilities across the State, with Ben Damare Clinic in Ekori, Yakurr local government area, their fist point of call.
In her response, the Chairman of the State Council of the NUJ, 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 the state.
She lauded the Taskforce’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 NUJ’s preparedness to partner with the Anti-quackery team in sensitizing 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”, she said acknowledging the effort of the present administration in the all-important sector.
