Optomerist board clamps down on quacks

The Registrar, Optometrist and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria, Dr. Samuel Edu-Ntem, has said the board will weed out quacks in the profession.

Ntem, who spoke during a courtesy visit by members of the Association of Nigerian Dispensing Opticians to the regulatory body in Lagos, warned that quacks and practitioners who did not meet the board’s requirement would face stiff penalties.

He said, “The board will not tolerate quacks in this profession and this is in line with the expectations of the Federal Government reforms towards improving health care delivery to the public.”

In his address, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of Association of Nigerian Dispensing Opticians, Mr. Ezekiel Udom, called for a cordial relationship between the association and the board in bridging existing gaps in the profession.

Udom urged the board to include the regulation of dispensing opticians in its functions.

“We seek the continuous support of the board in driving this profession. We need more training opportunities to help opticians interpret what optometrists have prescribed,” he said.

Ntem insisted that for the board to train opticians, it would conduct continuing education programmes to keep them abreast of current international practices.

He also urged members of both professions to work within the limits of their training in order to avoid friction.

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