Patronizing the Unlicensed..

Fake Professionals

   In the words of Prof Alex Dodoo, who monitors patients safety for the World Health Organisation and have dealt with quacks for so many years, points out explicitly: "If one is not licensed by the state, anything that one does is illegal. Going to see them is dangerous. Period. Would you sit in an aeroplane where the pilot says 'OK hello, I'm the pilot, but I've not been licensed!' No way! You put your health at risk and you can die."
  I cannot agree less. Just recently, I had a first experience, yet again, of the problems caused by unlicensed individuals (quacks). This particular incident, like the others I have seen, tell of the same systematic failure. Also read this live story by Al Jazeera investigators of this menace, at the end of this post.
 The government have a large chunk in the whole decay, so does 'poverty', and then fake professionals. Every street in major towns across Nigeria, have one form of 'quackery' or another.
 
 I had to ask a senior doctor in our facility, his view on the topic. He tried navigating his way around it, but I was least impressed. I sensed resignation in his tone, being in a system that seems to be retrogressive in character. But I draw solace from the fact that some genuine efforts are being made by, not only government agencies, private citizens to clip the wings of this menace.  (see here>)