Says proposed council may duplicate present regulatory powers
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The Institute for Dietetics in Nigeria (IDN) has urged the National Assembly to reject a proposed invoice looking for to determine the Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria, warning that its passage may create competing regulatory authorities, weaken skilled requirements and expose Nigerians to inadequately skilled practitioners.
The institute, which helps statutory regulation of certified diet and dietetics professionals, mentioned the proposed laws, recognized as HB 2659, would considerably overlap with the Dietitians Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2022, designated HB 515.
It referred to as on the House of Representatives to discontinue consideration of HB 2659 in its current kind and urged the Federal Government and National Assembly to conclude the legislative course of for establishing the Dietitians Council of Nigeria.
Addressing journalists on the National Assembly premises on Monday, its National President, Tajudeen Olutope Ahmed, mentioned the institute maintained that Nigeria wanted a unified regulatory framework able to defending sufferers, establishing clear skilled requirements and stopping unqualified people from enterprise delicate medical duties.
“Nutrition and dietetic practice directly affects human health and, in many cases, human life,” the institute mentioned.
He burdened that errors in medical diet administration may end in deteriorating well being, everlasting incapacity or loss of life.
He added that certified dietitians and nutritionists-dietitians undertake dietary assessments, determine nutrition-related issues, present medical diet remedy and handle sufferers with situations together with diabetes, kidney illness, most cancers and extreme malnutrition.
According to the institute, these duties require specialised training, supervised medical coaching, internship {and professional} competency assessments.
“It is therefore dangerous to create a regulatory arrangement capable of granting professional recognition or clinical authority to persons who have not undergone the prescribed education in nutrition and dietetics, supervised clinical training, internship and professional competency assessment,” it said.
The IDN argued that establishing two councils with overlapping authority over skilled training, accreditation, registration, medical observe and disciplinary procedures would introduce uncertainty into the regulation of diet and dietetics in Nigeria.
It warned that such an association may impose further prices on academic establishments and healthcare suppliers, whereas creating confusion over skilled {qualifications} and the scope of observe of various classes of practitioners.
The institute’s intervention comes amid a legislative debate over the suitable regulatory construction for professionals working in diet and dietetics, with the proposed HB 2659 looking for to determine a separate council for nutritionists.
The IDN mentioned the existence of two statutory regulators may complicate the administration of educational programmes, notably as a result of many related programs in Nigerian tertiary establishments are organised underneath the built-in self-discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Ahmed mentioned: “Most related educational programmes in Nigeria are established as departments or programmes of ‘Nutrition and Dietetics’.
“It would be impracticable for one council to regulate the nutrition component of an integrated programme while another regulates its dietetics component.”
The institute warned that universities, polytechnics and faculties of well being sciences and know-how may face conflicting accreditation necessities, duplicated charges and uncertainty over the skilled recognition of their graduates.
It additional cautioned that sufferers, employers and healthcare establishments may battle to tell apart between skilled titles comparable to nutritionist, registered nutritionist, medical nutritionist, dietitian and registered dietitian.
Such uncertainty, it argued, may end in medical duties being assigned to people with out the specialised coaching required to carry out them safely.
The IDN additionally raised issues concerning the distinction between participation in diet science and qualification to practise as a regulated skilled.
While acknowledging the contributions of consultants in biochemistry, agriculture, meals science, physiology, drugs, pharmacy and public well being, it maintained that membership of a multidisciplinary scientific society shouldn’t robotically confer skilled competence to practise diet or dietetics.
The institute particularly referenced the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, which it mentioned had reportedly supported HB 2659, arguing that membership of a scientific organisation shouldn’t be handled as an alternative to prescribed skilled training and medical coaching.
“Membership of a multidisciplinary scientific society must never be treated as automatic proof of professional qualification to practise nutrition or dietetics,” the IDN boss mentioned.
He defined that researchers and specialists from totally different educational backgrounds may make beneficial contributions to diet analysis, meals safety, public well being and policymaking with out essentially possessing the medical competencies required to evaluate sufferers, prescribe therapeutic diets or present medical diet remedy.
The institute added: “Multidisciplinary cooperation must not be confused with professional equivalence.”
Beyond the legislative dispute, the IDN mentioned Nigeria’s diet challenges, together with malnutrition, childhood stunting, maternal anaemia and diet-related non-communicable illnesses, required coordinated intervention by appropriately certified professionals.
It maintained that an efficient regulatory framework ought to set up minimal academic necessities, outline protected skilled titles, specify the scope of observe and reserve high-risk medical features for practitioners with the requisite {qualifications}.
“A regulatory law must protect patients, establish clear educational and professional standards, define protected titles and reserve high-risk clinical functions for persons with the requisite qualifications,” it said.
The institute cautioned lawmakers towards adopting laws that, in its view, may legitimise skilled encroachment or weaken safeguards meant to guard sufferers.
It, nonetheless, emphasised that its place shouldn’t be interpreted as opposition to multidisciplinary collaboration in nutrition-related analysis, agriculture, meals methods, public well being, training or coverage formulation.
Rather, it mentioned, the central subject was guaranteeing that skilled recognition and medical duties had been primarily based on verifiable {qualifications}, coaching and competence.
The IDN consequently urged the House of Representatives to halt additional consideration of HB 2659 in its present kind and requested the National Assembly to keep away from establishing two statutory councils with competing or overlapping mandates.
It additionally referred to as on the Federal Government and lawmakers to finish the mandatory legislative processes regarding HB 515 and facilitate its transmission for presidential assent.
The institute additional urged lawmakers to make sure that skilled titles, entry {qualifications}, scopes of observe and medical features reserved for registered practitioners had been clearly outlined within the related laws.
“This is not a contest between organisations. It is a matter of public health, patient safety, professional integrity and responsible legislation,” the assertion added.
The IDN maintained that the overriding consideration needs to be the safety of Nigerians slightly than the institutional pursuits {of professional} organisations.
“Nigeria must not enact a law that creates parallel professional authorities, weakens established competency standards or opens the door for inadequately trained persons to undertake sensitive nutrition and clinical dietetic responsibilities,” it mentioned.
The institute urged the National Assembly and the Federal Government to prioritise a unified regulatory framework that might safeguard sufferers and make sure that solely appropriately educated, skilled and competent professionals undertake regulated diet and dietetics observe.
The National Assembly’s ultimate choice on the competing legislative proposals is anticipated to find out the construction of statutory regulation for the professions and the safeguards governing their respective areas of observe.
