NMA laments travails caused by a deficient system worsened by insecurity
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Ravaging insecurity now makes it nearly impossible to deliver healthcare across the land, besides pre-existing underfunding, lack of equipment, poor welfare of healthcare workers, and brain drain, says the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA)
The NMA lamented the threat to life and properties and urged the government at all levels to urgently addressing insecurity, so the precarious healthcare indices would get worse.
The NMA also urged Abuja to institute more rigorous and continuous surveillance systems and strict international health travel measures as Monkeypox and other re-emerging diseases rage worldwide.
The pleas were made in a communiqué the NMA issued at the end of its 2022 National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Gombe.
The communique, jointly signed by NMA President Uche Ojinmah and Secretary General Jide Onyekwelu, asked the federal government to prioritise the security and welfare of citizens in accordance with the Constitution.
It expressed dismay that insecurity prevents both patients and health workers to reach health facilities in some parts of the country, and that government at levels fail to check kidnappings.
“The health workers have been targeted in some communities with some of them kidnapped during the discharge of their duties and a few of them killed by gunmen,” the NMA said.
With the outbreak of monkeypox and other diseases, it stressed, Abuja needs to improve international cooperation and data sharing, and rebuild public health infrastructure to control and prevent vector-borne and zoonotic diseases.
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Other demands
The NMA also
Urged Abuja to institute multidisciplinary collaboration using the “One Health” approach for prompt diagnosis and treatment; conduct research in the management of infectious diseases, conduct regular training and re-training of health personnel and strengthen evidence-based timely decision-making to detect, treat, contain, and control infectious diseases.
Lamented poor healthcare infrastructure, insufficient and obsolete equipment, and human resource shortage, among others, per reporting by Vanguard.
Said a lack of human resources, poor remuneration of healthcare workers, brain-drain, inadequate funding of the health sector, abuse of referral system, inter-professional rivalry and insecurity, are major threats to effective healthcare delivery.
Said it will continue engagement using every lawful means to ensure the payment of the newly approved hazard allowance within the next two months.
Urged all its members to participate in the installation ceremony of Osahon Enabulele as President of the World Medical Association (WMA) in Berlin.
Asked the federal and state governments to support the installation by sending a delegation and also supporting the NMA to sponsor many of its members to attend the event.
Urged NMA Abia branch to ensure the rights and privileges of all doctors in the state, especially those working in public hospitals, are not trampled by deploying all legitimate means at its disposal.
Asked Ekiti, Ondo, and Imo governments to hasten the process of clearing the unpaid salaries of doctors and other health workers.