Many health gizmos are being paraded everyday that can confuse even the savvy. It is all health fraud! The American Patent Office registers hundreds of worthless medical devices every year most of which end up in poor, educationally backward and failing nations where the citizensʼ health is peripheral to nationhood. In truth and reality, Nigeria is included. If Europe and America, with all the advancement, can be conned by quacks and vitamin pushers, then we are in for it. In his book Quack! Tales of Medical Fraud, Bob McCoy, the Curator of the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices, provides us with tips on how to recognize a quack device.

 A device or product is likely to be a fraud if: it is said to use little-known energies that are undetectable by ordinary scientists or conventional analysis; it can diagnose or cure people living miles away; it has a convoluted yet scientific-sounding name; or it was invented by a ʽworld famousʼ doctor that is not actually well known in the scientific community and cannot be googled. The signs will also include but not limited to a device that: has bright lights that serve no practical purpose; has knobs and dials that serve no apparent purpose; shakes, rattles, rolls, sucks, shocks, or warms the body; a device that can supposedly cure just about anything; that is available only through the mail or at special outlets; whose manufacturer is not exactly sure how or why it works; that you cannot find at a regular doctorʼs office- please substitute teaching or general hospital because some qualified private medical practitioners are equally guilty. Meanwhile orthodox doctors who deceive patients into having unnecessary treatments, for example ʽflushing away typhoid feverʼ or surgeries that are not needed, for instance C-section, are guilty of unethical practices.  

 One should be double alert with a device or product if: to get results, the patient must face a certain direction or use the device only at unusual times; one is supposed to use it even when there is nothing wrong with him, and finally the FDA has outlawed it. Here, we can not rely solely on NAFDAC because apart from possibly toxicological studies, it does not do more. If NAFDAC is doing more, then these strange formulas and devices should not be on the shelves or the producers should have been forced to put warning labels in the mould of that on cigarette packs.

 Amongst others, the vitamins and formulas from these alternative medicine outfits and multilevel marketers, the massager machine at the chemist shop, cholesterol-lowering teas, weight reducing belts and machines apart from the treadmill, BP reducing machine, aloe vera, ginseng, ginsomin etc will cleanly satisfy these criteria of a quack device or remedy.

 Quackery poses real threat to health and wealth. Valuable time is lost in pursuing worthless methods when timely help could have made the difference. For example most cases of breast cancer usually present in advanced stage IV where palliation is the only treatment possible. For obvious reasons, most herbal potions are actually dangerous to the liver and kidneys. When the hope dubiously instilled in patients is lost, people who realize they have been manipulated by quackery usually become bitter towards mainstream medicine where they eventually run to. For example, intra-op death of a woman having emergency section for eclampsia is eventually blamed on the hospital. The money lost annually to quackery and health fraud will probably run into hundreds of millions of naira. What a waste!

 The guard against falling into the carefully laid traps of quackery and health fraud is tricky. To prevent the medical fraud and quack having the last laugh, please run if a product is too heavy on testimonials and anecdotes, if a product can ʽcureʼ so many unrelated ailments, if the promoter tries to reinvent the wheel of diagnostics and therapeutics, if the promoter advertises his wares, if the product has any of the attributes already listed, if the promoter is against organized science or he engages in reverse labeling, if the promoter claims the product is natural (natural does not connote safety, anthrax is natural), or only he has a secret cure. And finally donʼt let desperation have the better part of you.

 Finally, government should be proactive and less docile on health matters. No more alternative drugs exhibition and fairs, please. Government should upgrade our health facilities, and make health insurance universal and compulsory so that more patients can access modern healthcare. NAFDAC should do thorough premarketing evaluation of these ʽnaturalʼ products, supplements and therapies not only in terms of safety, but also their effectiveness and efficacy; and have warning labels on their packs. In the meantime SON and NAFDAC should make multilevel marketers to register their products, to at least lay the foundation for future scientific study. Regulatory status of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria should be broadened to cover alternative practice; as health has no two yardsticks and since what is sauce for the goose is good for the gander, a separate body to regulate alternative practice would not do. In the US, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has not been of much help to the cause of medicine. Also religious bodies and NGOs could do a lot more in educating the public. NBC should ban all forms of these advertisements as it did for miracle crusades; health fraud is a more serious deception. The education ministry should consider drugs education a necessary inclusion in our curriculum.

 Finally, ʽquacksʼ, said James Harvey Young, ʽnever sleep, but education and regulation can reduce the toll they take in wasted resources and human sufferingʼ. It is only then that we can truly have, according to Buddha, a sound health, the greatest of gifts, the greatest of riches, and the greatest happiness.

Here is a congratulatory message to our old teacher Prof Babatunde Osotimehin on his appointment as the health minister. The task is daunting but you can do it. Here is something to chew on: the issue of the office of the Surgeon General, quackery and health fraud as at present, the HIV issue, the issue of residency training in our teaching hospitals, health insurance, primary health care, the brain drain. If these are the only ones you can achieve while your tenure lasts, you would have done so much for our healthcare system and we will, just as all your students and colleagues at Ibadan Medical School do, write your name in gold. And oga, softly softly o, ground dey slippery. 

Robot  # 1 | 10.01.2009 05:15

Many health gizmos are being paraded everyday that can confuse even the savvy. It is all health fraud! The American Patent Office registers hundreds of worthless medical devices every year most of which end up in poor, educationally backward and failing nations where the citizensʼ health is peripheral to nationhood. In truth and reality, Nigeria is included. If Europe and America, with all the advancement, can be conned by quacks and vitamin pushers, then we are in for it. In his book Quack! Tales of Medical Fraud, Bob McCoy, the Curator of the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices, provides us with tips on how to recognize a quack device. A device or product is likely to be a fraud if: it is said to use little-known energies that are undetectable by ordinary scientists or conventional analysis; it can diagnose or cure people living miles away; it has a convoluted yet scientific-sounding name; or it was invented by a ʽworld famousʼ doctor that...Read the full article.

agbajo owo  # 2 | 10.01.2009 07:50

Doctors and other health workers are a major part of the problems. Their failure is making good business for the quacks. I make bold to say so because I am a member of that community. At times it is difficult to differentiate between a medical graduate and a babalawo graduate. Most private hospitals are just for profit only! In a system with no reliable judiciary system for redress, they are a law unto themselves. The solution to our health problem is a solid primary health care system. Prof Olikoye of a blessed memory achieved 90% immunization coverage, based on emphasis on primary health care. I was opportune to work in a well set up local government and it was brilliant. I must say at a great sacrifice as the politicians are more interested in profiteering from it than been supportive. Now we have more teaching hospitals than general hospitals or even functional heatlh centres. We are standing upside down, as in most area of our public life. Can Babs take us back to the glorious days? I doubt. I think he is more of a gallery player than an achiever. My sincere desire is for "the youngest Prof ever” to prove me wrong.

Enforcer  # 3 | 10.01.2009 08:05

The article is fine in highlighting the shortcomings of the Nigerian healthcare system, but I wish the author has proffered short and long-term solutions to the ills he mentioned. I don’t see the point in a doctor diagnosing an illness without offering possible cure or means to alleviate the suffering caused by that illness for the patient. The Nigerian clinics and hospitals can performed like their western counterparts if they have the financial resources to invest in modern equipment and research.

PAPIG  # 4 | 10.01.2009 11:45

IN A ROTTEN SYSTEM GOOD INDIVIDUALS ARE BUT A TOKEN This is no cynicism. The appointment of Professor Osotimehin would make absolutely no difference to the overall health of our people. He is most certainly not in the mould of Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti and i am sorry to say that the great Olikoye was merely used by the Military Junta to buy credibility for their rotten government. Ditto the appointment of Tai Solarin. I would like to go on record as to say that Professor Osotimehin would serve his master,the PDP THIEVING CABAL, very well and the vast majority of our people would not have a look in. I can only apologise for stating the very obvious especially as i have not proferred ways or suggestions of how we can get rid of this unadulterated fraud of a government anchored by the PDP.