Fact-check: CTS machines can’t replace surgeries – NMA
……urges relevant authorities to to pull down the misleading videos
By Chima Azubuike
The Nigerian Medical Association has decried false claims by a self-acclaimed Gombe doctor, Abubakar Sadiq, who allegedly claimed that Computed Tomography Scan machine could be used to ‘burn out’ diseases requiring surgeries.
A CTS machine is used to take images of parts of the body in order to aid medical diagnosis.
According to a press statement made available to PUNCH HealthWise by the state Chairman Dr Abdulsalam Ibrahim, he described Sadiq’s claims as bogus and capable of misleading the residents of Gombe State.
Ibrahim disclosed that its statement was sequel to the self-acclaimed doctor’s viral video post where he urged people to make payments.
The statement partly read, “The so-called Dr. Abubakar Sadiq pharmacy Gombe making wild claims of having a machine that “burns” (probably referring to “treat”) any ailment such as cold, poor sight, infertility in women and many other diseases that require surgery.
“He went further to claim that doctors in Germany and indeed the world over no longer carry out surgeries but rather burn all surgical diseases. He also claimed to have this machine and encouraged the populace with any such surgical ailments to make payments to him so he could treat them using this machine.
While calling on State and Federal regulatory agencies to take action towards curbing the consequences of quacks, adding “is not in the place of NMA Gombe to involve itself directly with such bogus claims by so called doctors like the person in question as it is not a regulatory agency.”
The NMA further urged authorities to pull down such videos capable of causing damages to people, while warning the public against patronising quacks.
“We will rather leave that to the likes of the state and federal ministries of health and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria however, the use of a computed tomography scan machine which is a medical imaging device to depict his bogus claims cannot be left without a response as it is capable of misleading the public and also bring doctors who offer services using this device to disrepute.
“The Computed Tomography Scan machine is a medical imaging device used the world over to take images of parts of the body in order to aid diagnosis by doctors. It is not used anywhere in the world to burn surgical diseases as claimed by the person in question. Operating this device requires a high degree of skill and expertise which NMA Gombe doubts if the person in question possesses. Also, due to the high amount of radiation emitted by this device, its use is closely supervised by the appropriate regulatory agencies.
Surgeries are being carried out the world over and all over the world surgeons are continuously being trained to carry out surgeries as against the claims by the person in question.
“This same individual has also put out so many other videos with erroneous medical contents capable of misleading the public and jeopardising the health of the populace that is if that is not already the case. Thus, NMA Gombe is hereby calling on the regulatory agencies earlier mentioned and the necessary security outfits to do the needful and not only ensure this erroneous video and so many others put out by the so-called Dr. Abubakar Sadiq pharmacy Gombe is pulled down from the internet but to also ensure that all legal means necessary is employed to safe guard the health of the populace from him and others like him.”
