By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – GOVERNOR Monday Okpebholo of Edo State yesterday tasked members and the leadership of the Nigerian Postgraduate College of Optometrists with checking quackery and promoting professionalism to ensure the sustenance of the prime role optometrists play in the field of medicine.

Speaking at the Banquet Hall of the University of Benin while declaring open, the 17th Annual General Meeting and Induction of new Fellows of the College with the theme, “Advancing quality eye care through research and technology drive innovations” Okpebholo said some offices of optometrists have been shut down while others have been penciled down for closure because of their unprofessional conducts.

Represented by the Director of Medical Services, Edo State Ministry of Health, Dr. Edward Isowiehen, Okpebholo commended the leadership and members of the College for their unwavering commitment to excellence, professionalism and continued advancement of eye care in Nigeria

The Governor, however, lamented the alarming increase in optical diagnosis and diseases in the country but hoped that the comprehensive works of the college in producing specialists would bring solutions to this and stressed the state’s commitment to ensure improved health care delivery at all levels.

“It is a celebration of achievements, vision and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. To our newly inducted fellows, I say congratulations because your journey has been long and rigorous and your success today speaks volume about your dedication, your discipline and your desire to serve humanity at the highest standard of clinical and academic excellence.

“The issue of quackery is a cankerworm that has been there over the years and we have made and are still making conscious efforts through working closely with the Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA). They have reported some cases to us and we have shut some facilities down recently and some have been marked for closure with the recent tour of the Registrar of Council around the state.”

In his lecture on the theme, the Dean of Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Benin, Prof. Raymond Ozolua, Challenged optometrists to be debtors to their calling. He described the optometrist as not just an eye examiner but a disease detector and needs to be technologically enabled in the modern age.

He reiterated the need for Optometrists to guide and protect their professional oath taken by utilizing the knowledge gained as specialists to disarm quack practitioners and frowned at activities of some optometrists who have overtime been the backing of the activities of quacks.

He identified the importance of modern technologies for proper fight and elimination of quacks

Prof. Ozolua described the present state of Nigerian health care services to the effect of myopia suffered by past Nigerian leaders in the handling of health matters generally and hoped that those currently in power would do the best to change the narrative.

On his part, the President of the Nigerian Postgraduate College of Optometrists, Prof. Franklin Kio said there was a need for professionalism which is based on loyalty and humanity. “Majority of the professionals cash on the profession for money’s sake and sometimes bring in juniors who are yet to develop fully to practice unethically and inefficiently. They abandon them solely to do the work while they open other clinical centres or maybe trade on other things.

“On the other hand, some Professionals go ahead to establish quacks as a way of reward for what they call stewardship which is wrong from the morale angle as well as the professional angle”.

The president also condemned hospitals who most times seek cheap labour and therefore employ the services of quacks or unqualified medical practitioners to do the works of an Optometrist.