Health ministry bans doctors from issuing documents without the doctors’ stamp
From April 1, documents issued by doctors without the doctors’ stamp issued by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) will be invalid according to a memo released by the federal ministry of health and obtained by HealthNews.NG.
In the document signed by Dr. O.J. Amedu, Acting Head, Department of Hospital Services on behalf of the health minister, Prof Isaac Adewole, the ministry directed heads of federal medical establishments to notify all medical and dental practitioners in their hospitals, and to enforce the use of the Doctors’ Stamp on all medicolegal documents with effect from April 1.
“I am directed to inform you that, the Doctors’ Stamp will be used in all medico-legal documents and reports by doctors in both public and private establishment, and also in identifying doctors in the country and a way of curbing quackery in the medical profession,” Amedu said in the letter.
When HealthNews.NG first broke the news of the plans of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to introduce Doctors’ Stamp in the country, there were mixed responses to the development that had already gained the support of the health minister.
While some respondents commended the development, several doctors who spoke to HealthNews.NG said it would not be the tool that would end quackery since healthcare service seekers rarely ask for the certificate and license of a doctor before subjecting themselves to treatment. They said it is just another attempt by the NMA to generate revenues from medical doctors in Nigeria.
However, the NMA is upbeat about the ability of the stamp to stamp quackery out of Nigeria. With the FG already supporting the initiative, the NMA would also seek to partner with state governments to implement the policy.
