By Aderogba George
Dr Ibrahim Wada, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nisa Medical Group, Abuja,
has urged medical workers to change their attitude to work for enhanced services.
He made the call during the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Elders’ Forum Day in Abuja as part of activities
to mark the NMA 2022 Physicians’ Week.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NMA Physicians’ Week is an annual event during which the
sacrificial works of Physicians are given prominence and doctors are celebrated.
Celebrated concurrently in all states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the week has “Nigeria’s
Health Care Delivery System and the 2023 Democratic Transition: A Time to Change the Narrative’’ as its theme for 2022.
Wada, who said that the attitude of some medical workers could affect patient’s health and recovery, added that
bad attitude could also cause breakdown of the system.
According to him, there is need for complete change of attitude and services by some medical officers.
He said “for the health sector to see changes, we the professionals also need to look at our current ways and see
how we can improve on them.’’
He recommended that elderly health personnel should be constituted as committee members that would champion
and lobby policy makers to get the doctors’ agenda for the health sector realised.
He also called on medical officers to begin to participate in political process like every other citizen, saying it was the only
way they could have a sense of belonging and contribute their quota to the health sector.
On his part, Dr Udofia Enefiok, acting Chairman of the Elders Forum, NMA-FCT, called on policy makers to give priority to
health sector budget come 2023 when the country would be transiting into a new government.
He appealed to government to ensure that it met the World Health Organisation (WHO) requirement of allocating 15 per
cent of the country’s budget to the health sector.
He also urged government to put the right people in place to meaningfully manage funds meant for the health sector.
Enefiok, who described the country’s drive toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as move in the right direction,
urged government to ensure diligent implementation of the provisions of the National Health Insurance Act (NHIA).
He said the FCT NMA Elders’ Forum was introduced to mentor upcoming young doctors.
He added that “the young ones need mentorship, we have been there for years, we are trying to interact with them so
we can improve care and ensure that they give what they have for the betterment of the country.
“Things are changing; young doctors are being guided to ensure that they change as everything becomes digital; this
meeting is to encourage them to think and move along with the digital age.’’
NAN
