Optometrists Clamp Down Fake Eye Care Outreach in Calabar.

Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA), Cross River State Chapter on Wednesday clamped down on quacks using Church premises to conduct illegal eye check up in Calabar.

The event which took place at Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Akim Qua Town Parish and orchestrated by quacks deceiving gullible and suspected members of the public met their waterloo as the NOA Cross River State Chapter Taskforce against Quakery in Eye care, and the LOC of the upcoming NOA National Conference (Calabar 2019) stormed the premises.

Speaking, the Immediate Past Registrar of Optometrist and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN), Dr. Sam Ntem, said he would liaise with other eye care stakeholders on issues related to public practice to ensure quakery is eliminated in Eyecare profession.

“We will consolidate on the already existing systems, including the ongoing fight against internal and external quackery".

According to him eliminating quackery in the eye care sub-sector will help to prevent avoidable blindness and government’s cooperation is greatly solicited to achieve this.

“Effective liaison with the various ministries and government agencies will promote the optometry brand for the benefit of the society at large, as well as create a global brand for the association".

Also Speaking, Dr Bernadine Ekpenyong, the "Calabar 2019" LOC Chairperson, said disciplinary issues and strict compliance to standards and ethics will be taken seriously to ensure sanity, especially amongst members in the association found to engage in quakery activities. She promised to ensure the fight continues in all nooks and crannies of Cross River State.

Earlier Speaking, the head of the outreach, Ekpendu Beguwills said the group had reach out to the Optometrist Association in the State to inform them about the outreach even though it was organised by the Church.

But responding to it, the Chairman of NOA in Cross River State, Dr Oyebuchi Ndukwe said the Chapter did not receive any notifications from the group for any outreach. He even wondered why the group should charge monies for an outreach they advertised as "free Eyecare check up", as such screening when approved by the association are done without a charge in accordance with the norms of the association.

Dr Ndukwe said his leadership in the state will not tolerate quakery and vow to hand over the group to relevant law enforcement agencies for tarnishing the image of the association and optometrists in the State.