Optometrists pledge to curb quackery through technology

.Anti-quackery taskforce underway

Dr Obinna Awiaka, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Optometrists and Dispensing Optician Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN), has disclosed that the ongoing move to digitise registration of members and clinics was aimed at fishing out quacks from practice.

Dr. Awiaka said a new licence for practitioners had been designed for all operators in the optical industry, explaining that all optometrists and dispensers and interns in the sector would have new logos for easy identitification in the course of their duties.

At a press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja to Mark the Registrar’s first 100 days in office, Dr. Awiaka disclosed that the board was poised to root out quackery from the profession.

He said a national task force would be launched to rid the eye health subsector of quackery.

Dr Obinna said: “We shall be collaborating with professional associations, the Nigeria Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Standard Organisation of Nigeria and the Nigerian Customs Service to flush out quackery.

“Our digital platform will also be going live! Every activity of the Board will be by the click of a button. Every practitioner will have a dash board and a wallet where they can pay in money which will be deducted automatically when due.”

According to the newly unveiled colours for the various practitioners, the optometrist has white, while dispensing officer sky blue coat.

The Registrar/CEO disclosed that within the first 100 days in office of the board, it had successfully inducted six institutions which include: Imo, Abia State University, Madonna University, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, among others.