20th November, 2019
The Senate on Tuesday directed the Federal Ministry of Health to set up an efficient and proper mechanism to stop the proliferation of fake medical reports emanating from public hospitals.
It also urged the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to intensify efforts to check the incidences of fraud and quackery in the medical profession, especially in public hospitals.
The Senate took these decisions sequel to a motion sponsored by Senator Lilian Uche Ekwunife (PDP, Anambra Central) on the proliferation of fake medical reports from public hospitals.
Presenting the motion, Ekwunife noted the recent investigation that revealed the ease with which “authentic” medical reports could be obtained from some public hospitals for a fee without conducting any medical test or even proof of identity.
The commercialisation of medical reports, the lawmaker said, posed a danger to the medical health and safety of Nigerians.
‘It can result in fatal misdiagnosis of patients or anyone else who relies on the contents of such medical reports,” she said.
She expressed concern that the integrity of medical report is being compromised and eroded by the realisation that it may not contain the true and accurate medical details of the person named in the report.
She noted that, though there exist a Code of Ethics and guidelines in the medical profession that abhorred the illegal issuance of medical reports, there was no effective implementation of those regulations.