Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has called on the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) to stop emotional blackmail of Nigerian qualified doctors in an attempt to make the public see them as anti-other health professionals.

Responding to a letter written by ACPN to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on alleged growing domination of medical doctors in the health and education sectors, NARD President, Dr Tope Osundara, stated that there had been no incursion into other professions within the healthcare system by the body of doctors at the local or national level.

Osundara noted that what they had rather seen was revolt, repulsive utterances, and statements of attack on Nigerian Doctors` positive contributions to the healthcare needs of Nigerians.

According to Osundara, doctors do not work as heads in pharmaceutical companies, where it is expected that pharmacists will be solely involved in leading reputable research that will produce innovative drugs to complement the work of doctors in the hospital.

NARD president noted that the concern of ACPN was on who heads what and who holds what.” He said: “We are in receipt of a news item making the round that indicted Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) of being frivolously audacious within the Nigerian Healthcare System, contained in a letter written by Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Let it be very clear to ACPN that NARD holds no grudges and has not been appointed overseer in any matter, but NARD will candidly make its perspective in health care matters known because we are essential stakeholders just like the community of pharmacists. We all have the opportunity to make input in productive health matters, not those that do not help patient health outcomes or tend to destabilise the system.”

Osundara said NARD had stated clearly that death related to having non-medically qualified persons (impostors) with the prefix “doctor” attending to patient care is alarmingly high.

According to him, statistics have also shown and established that physician-leaders outperform non-physician leaders in hospitals. According to him, before raising concerns about issues in the healthcare system, there is a need to first have in mind how it will improve patient outcomes, stressing that if it doesn’t add to better health outcomes for the public, it is better to jettison the idea.