By Chimezie Godfrey
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has urged government at all levels to prioritize specialist and super specialty care with a view to improving the country’s poor health indices.
The NMA stated this on Wednesday in Abuja, in a communique issued at the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the Marhaba event Centre, Kano State recently.
The theme of the NEC meeting was “Specialization and Sub-specialization in Medical Practice: Bridging Skills & Technology Gap in Nigeria,” while the sub-theme were ” Panacea for Funding: Public Private Partnership (PPP) Financial Institutions & Health Trust Funds” and Super speciality in the Nigerian Health System: Reality or Mirage.”
In the communiqué which was signed by the NMA President, Dr. Francis Adebayo Faduyile and the NMA Secretary General, Dr. Olumiyiwa Peter Odusote, the NEC observed that specialist and super specialty care are still largely rudimentary and not well developed in Nigeria.
It noted that conglomerate of factors including critical shortage of specialists, training challenges, inadequate requisite equipment, poor funding of the health sector and lack of political will amongst others, are responsible for the rudimentary state and the huge gap in developing specialty and super speciality care in the country.
The NEC blamed the poor implementation and low acceptance of the public private practice by healthcare professionals and the public on misconception and suspicion by members of health care team.
It also expressed dismay with the worsening state of security in the country and the continued incarceration of two medical doctors Dr Audu Sule and Dr Sunday Oduniyi in Taraba State by kidnappers, among many other observations.
Speaking on their resolutions, Dr. Francis Adedayo Faduyile, NMA President, said that the NEC in the light of the above observations called on the government to prioritize specialist and super specialty care in order to improve the poor health indices in the country.
He said,”The NEC urged government at all levels to prioritize specialist and super specialty care as a key measure to improve the country’s poor health indices.
“NEC implored the NMA to take the lead in sensitizing the government, organized private sector and other stakeholders in the articulating strategies to achieve this in the overall interest of all Nigerians.
“The NEC is convinced that commitment to implementation of Medical Residency Training Act ans and National Health Act, and increase in budgetary allocation by the federal and state governments to health sector to the minimum benchmark of 15% of the total annual budget in line with Abuja declaration by African Heads of states in 2001, would impact positively on specialty and super specialty care in Nigeria. The NEC implored government to demonstrate political will in this regard.
“The NEC strongly recommended that other state governments should emulate the Kano State government bin areas of specialty training, optimal budgetary allocation to the health sector, well funded state health insurance scheme and increased accessibility to specialized care especially by the less privileged.”
The NEC reaffirmed the commitment of the NMA to the stability of the sector and sustenance of current industrial harmony, and urged the House of Representatives to further deploy strategies to fast track the resolution of outstanding matters between the Federal Government and the National Association of Resident Doctors, among others.