Worried by the number of quacks in government offices, the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) have urged the government to stop engaging quack veterinarians.
Dr Toyin Adetunberu National President of NVMA while speaking at the 42nd investiture and NVMA summit said Nigeria has only 9000 veterinary doctors and about 5 percent of them are in government service.
She said “that is why we are advocating on the need to employ veterinary surgeons to take their place and performed their duty. “Don’t give the job of vet surgeons to quacks”.
Furthermore, she said that there has been dearth of veterinary doctors because many people don’t know much about the profession.
She said there is need for about 3 veterinarians to be in charge of a local government area, but unfortunately according to her, some states cannot boast of two animal doctors in their state.
“There are no enough veterinary doctors in Nigeria, as some states have just two veterinary doctors when there is suppose to be three per local government for meat inspection, control and clinical services”.
“Some state government have just two veterinary doctor in their civil service. If they want to have public Private partnership with the doctors to render the served we are ready to partner with them but we don’t want them to give our service to quacks”.
Furthermore, she stated that “the profession is an enviable one but because we do not advertise people do not know that Veterinary medicine exist. I I will encourage many people to go into the profession as we are involve in public health, 70 percent of human diseases originate from animals and it is the veterinary surgeons that nip the disease in the bud.
Adetunberu said the association take its place in disease prevention, control and ensure that the populace have safe food to eat.
She added that while they are trying to stamp out quackery from our profession, they want the government to partner with them.
The guest lecturer Dr Samuel Adeyemi urged the professionals in the field to take proactive measures to curb the excesses of quacks, urging them to employ the whistle blowing policy.
He said the veterinarians can also put a seal or a stamp that would be attached to their communication products such that whoever sees the seal will know difference between professional and the quacks.