The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a fake doctor identified as Poroye O. Franklin, who was impersonating a registered physician in a state-run private hospital.
Franklin was working under another doctor’s license and folio number, according to a statement made on Sunday by the chairman of the Lagos NMA, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu.
He said that the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, which investigated the Poroye Franklin case with the help of the Lagos State Police Command, confirmed this.
In the statement, “A few days ago, the attention of NMA Lagos State was called to a situation in one of our private hospitals operating in Lagos State concerning suspicion that one Dr Poroye O. Franklin, who was parading himself as a registered Medical Practitioner was not one, but instead a quack
“A letter was immediately dispatched by NMA Lagos to the registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, to confirm his status as a registered medical practitioner.
“In their response, the MDCN confirmed that the license submitted was fake and the folio number submitted belonged to another doctor.
“Immediately after the response from MDCN was received, the leadership of NMA Lagos state, in conjunction with the Nigerian Police Force and the management of the private facility, effected his arrest in a sting operation and he is currently in police custody.
“The issue of quackery within the health sector is something that the current leadership of NMA, both at National and State branch levels, take seriously and this has led to the setting up of committees on anti-quackery in all state branches of NMA and at the National Level.”
A summit on the subject of quackery was held in the state earlier this year, according to the chairman of the Lagos NMA.
Before being presented to the Lagos State House of Assembly, the document from the summit, he continued, had been distributed to appropriate parties, including the Ministries of Health, Justice, and the Lagos State Police Command.
He added: “We want to assure Lagosians that NMA Lagos State will continue to ensure that they get the best in terms of healthcare service as we will leave no stone unturned in our determination to rid Lagos State healthcare system of quacks and fake doctors.”
