The Chief Medical Director of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital Amaku, Awka, Hon. Dr. Joe Akabuike has called on the medical practitioners to prioritize reducing errors in diagnosis as it is the bedrock of ineffective or delayed treatment. He made this call while presenting a paper titled: Errors in Diagnosis: The Roles of Medical Devices, Its Contributions and Consequences, to the members of Health Care Equipment and Allied Products Providers Association of Nigeria (HEPAN) on 21st June, 2025 at De Geogold Hotel, Awka.

Dr. Akabuike insisted that diagnostic errors are a significant threat to the safety of patients, with far-reaching clinical, ethical, and financial consequences. He maintained that these errors can not be reduced if technology and clinical expertise are not brought to comprehensive complementarity. According to him, technology is meant to complement human efforts and not replace it. He called on both patients and healthcare providers to maximise technology and human efforts in medical services and avoid excessive reliance on medical devices, which are prone to errors, especially when they are not properly checked.

Having noted the importance of accurate diagnosis and the critical role of medical devices in achieving this goal, Dr. Akabuike called on HEPAN to work assiduously to ensure that only quality medical equipment is brought into the country. He argued strenuously that medical equipment should not be handled like other business items where there are low quality equipment for those who can not afford high-quality ones. For him, the quality of healthcare equipment should not be compromised as health is sacred and deserved to be handled as such. He called on healthcare and equipment providers to work conscientiously to ensure patients' care and safety.

From:

Public Relations Office

COOUTH Amaku, Awka.