Experts have called for the urgent adoption of stronger verification measures, including uniquely numbered security stamps and digital authentication systems, to curb the rising falsification of medical reports in the country.

They also stressed the need for a centralised database and verification technology linking doctors, patients and medical records, noting that combining physical stamps with digital tools would significantly improve the credibility and traceability of medical reports.

The call follows growing concerns over forged medical documents, a trend experts warn could erode public trust in Nigeria’s healthcare system. The recent alleged medical report forgery involving social media influencer, Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, who claimed to be battling cancer before inconsistencies in her story triggered widespread doubt.

The Delta State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association later disowned the histology report, saying it had been altered from an original result issued to another patient.

In a statement signed by its chairman, Israel Adaigho, and secretary, Usamah Hannah, a copy of which was sighted by PUNCH Healthwise, the NMA said the report in circulation was originally issued on May 9, 2025 by Xinus Medical Diagnostics in Asaba, Delta State, to a patient identified as Mbara Deborah, not Okoro, following a referral from a private hospital in Asaba for a confirmatory breast cancer test. The association said the facility’s proprietor, O.A. Odigwe, a consultant pathologist and NMA member, contacted the branch to clarify the matter after the report went viral.

“The test was done and the result issued to the referring doctor as a case of breast cancer on the 9th of May, 2025,” the statement said. According to the NMA, the original result, issued to Deborah through her referring hospital, was separately made available online by law firm Allen Juris Law, bearing the patient’s actual name. The association said the clarification had become necessary “in view of what the altered report being paraded by Blessing Okoro is now being used for,” adding that members of the public “should therefore be guided accordingly.”

Earlier, Deborah alleged that the medical report Okoro circulated online was hers and had been edited. The matter, classified “fraud and forgery” is currently the subject of petitions before the Delta State Police Command and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

In an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise, the Delta State Chairman of the NMA, Dr Israel Adaigho, raised concerns over the increasing falsification of medical reports for financial and personal gains. He warned that the trend poses a serious threat to public confidence in the healthcare system. Adaigho disclosed that the association had introduced a system requiring doctors to use uniquely numbered stamps on medical reports to reduce tampering and forgery.

He explained that under the system, every doctor is expected to use a unique stamp for each report issued, with each stamp carrying a number that cannot be reused for another patient. “We now have a system where every doctor is expected to use a unique stamp for each report. Each stamp carries a number and cannot be reused for another report. This will help prevent tampering and forgery,” Adaigho said.

The NMA chairman added that although the initiative had already been introduced, compliance among doctors remained low, noting that the association was intensifying sensitisation efforts to ensure wider adoption. He, however, acknowledged implementation challenges, noting that many practitioners still rely on older methods of issuing reports without stamps.

“If this is properly implemented, it will be difficult to forge medical reports. We are working to ensure our members fully adopt this practice. If doctors comply by purchasing the doctor’s stamp from the national body and using it for every one of their reports, it will stem some of this,” the NMA chairman said.

Adaigho stressed that beyond issuing disclaimers, the association’s priority was to uphold professional standards and ensure fraudulent practices are investigated by relevant authorities. However, as the NMA moves to tackle rising falsification through uniquely numbered stamps, a lead technical consultant in Biometric and Verification Technologies, Mr Oluwaseyi Adebowale, warned that the measure may be insufficient without a comprehensive digital database to support it.

He said while the stamp system represents a step in the right direction, its effectiveness depends on whether it is linked to a centralised and trackable database. The biometric expert emphasised the need for a database of registered healthcare professionals, where each doctor would have a unique identification number verifiable through digital platforms.

“A stamp can be forged. The critical question is, when that stamp is placed on a document for a particular patient, which database is it speaking to? If there is no database confirming that this number was used for this patient on this date, then the system can easily be manipulated,” he said.

Adebowale noted that without a backend system confirming uniqueness, multiple fraudulent reports could carry the same stamp without immediate detection. He said, “Once you have that database, you can put a doctor’s ID into a verification device or application and immediately pull up their details, including where they are currently practising. You can trace them to point A, point B, point C.”

Adebowale further recommended integrating tools such as barcodes or QR codes into medical reports to enable authorised personnel to verify authenticity and trace reports to specific practitioners and facilities. According to him, the system can also be extended to patients through unique identification records, enabling continuity of care and reducing fraudulent claims.

“When you receive a medical report, you verify the hospital, verify the doctor’s licence, check the report ID, and confirm the stamp. On those points alone, you can determine whether a report is authentic, who produced it, and when. You do not even need to call the doctor,” he added.

Adebowale maintained that with a verified database, QR code system and the right devices, authorised personnel would be able to confirm the authenticity of medical reports at a glance.