ADDRESS BY DR FRANCIS A FADUYILE, PRESIDENT NIGERIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION DURING NIGERIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION COURTESY VISIT TO HIS EXCELLENCY MUHAMMADU BUHARI, GCFR, PRESIDENT, COMMANDER IN CHIEF FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT ASO ROCK VILLA ON THURSDAY 19TH JULY 2018
Protocol:
On behalf of the entire Medical and Dental Practitioners of Nigeria, we are delighted to be granted this courtesy visit within two months of the inauguration of the current executive of Nigerian Medical Association.
Mr. President Sir, we primarily want to thank you for the numerous achievements your administration has recorded in the health sector over the past three years. We note with excitement: the appointment of four of our members as cabinet ministers; the signing of the Residency T raining Act; Y our keen interest in immunization and improvement of immunization level in the country; and due diligence in assenting or stepping down of bills before you for assent, with overall interest and implications to the nation as your underlying considerations. We appreciate your Excellency sir, and the medical and dental professionals will continue to partner with you in your administration quest to improve the lot of the masses of this Country, particularly in our core area.
Your Excellency, since this visit is not a common occurrence, we wish to bring the following requests to your notice. We are optimistic and confident that you will give these request expeditious response.
1. Constitution of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and insulating the Council from dissolution: We wish to bring to your notice that our regulatory council, MDCN has not been constituted for the past 3 years. This is imperative as the Council is the organ for regulation and discipline of Medical and Dental Practitioners. These duties have been left unattended due to non-reconstitution of the Council. Consequent upon this, are numerous cases of malfeasance at work place as well as disciplinary activities not dispensed with on erring practitioners, with negative consequences.
Your Excellency Sir, you are only required to nominate the Chairman of the council as other members are statutory. The Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Act, CAP M8, states inter alia that “the council shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession” and Medical councils worldwide are not dissolved until they complete their tenure in office and succeeded by a new set. The constitution of the Council will therefore set in place the real control of Medical Profession in Nigeria.
2. Release of Alh. Yayale Ahmed led Presidential Committee on Experts on Inter-Professional Relationships in the Public Health Sector was submitted on the 19th of December, 2014:
We have brought this to your notice that the White Paper of Yayale Ahmed Committee, which was officially submitted to government in December 2014 if released will mitigate the numerous cases of inter-professional disharmony within the health sector. We are very desirous of harmony in health sector to impact more positively on our services, training and research and consequently team work for safe and effective healthcare delivery to all.
3. Universal Health Coverage (UHC)/National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS):
The NMA has continuously been advocating for UHC and expansion of the NHIS. It has been proven that out of pocket payment for health cannot provide adequate and qualitative healthcare for the populace. We are advocating for a review of the NHIS Act to make it mandatory to all Nigerians. This will make it a duty for every citizen to enroll. This will have positive effect in giving adequate care and treatment to the enrollees while ensuring availability of fund to purchase equipment and improve health facility infrastructure. Specialized treatments like cancer care and equipment can be purchased, and the government can massively subsidize the treatment for the citizens as done in developed countries.
4. Strengthening Primary Health Centre (PHC) And States Participations:
NMA appreciates the Federal Government for the improvement in the equipment and facilities in the PHC centres nationwide. PHCs are expected to cater for up to 75% of the populace mostly in the rural areas, those improving these facilities with complement of staff mix (doctors and other health workers) at all levels of health care, will address a lot of illness and disease burden. Medical and health personnel retention at this level has been low as a result of very poor pay package or remuneration. This has caused brain drain between the state government health personnel to Federal Government Employments (internal brain drain) and outside the country. We have always advocated for uniform pay for all Medical and Dental Practitioners irrespective of their employers. This we believe will make the professionals stay in the hinterland/rural areas to take care of the people.
We plead with you Mr. President to facilitate the staffing of the PHC centres as well as the Universal applicability of remuneration of Medical and Dental Professionals at all level through initiating appropriate constitutional amendment.
5. Health Bank/Budget for Health:
NMA appeals and request the government to establish “Health Bank” to provide health fund, akin to Bank of Industries (BOI) and Bank of Agriculture. The Health Bank will allow the medical and dental practitioners to obtain loans to improve their facilities with single digit interest and a 5 years moratorium before paying back. This will afford practitioners improve their practice and will in turn lead to a better health care of our citizens. This is what was done in India that led to the expansion of medical management with attendant medical tourism seen in that country. Examples are Apollo and Fortes Hospitals in India.
As a necessity, government should increase budgetary allocation to Health. This year, only 3.8% was allocated to Health. This is a far cry from the 2001 Abuja declaration of African Head of states, that ascribed a minimum of 15% budget allocation to Health. Your Excellency, we look forward to your meeting this electioneering promise of meeting the 15% next year.
6. National Emergency Response: we request for inclusion of doctors in the management of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to improve on their services and response to emergencies of which health is critical.
7. National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS).
We shall appreciate NMA is given a regular slot in this course, as was in the past and stopped for no specific reasons. This training in this Institute, will arm our members with more requisite for impact creation in our polity.
Finally Your Excellency, we congratulate you for all efforts in repositioning the country and call on you for more attention to security of lives and property, and many untoward and unwholesome human behavior that continues to threaten the peace of the land. This appears to be on the rise with general elections fast approaching. We wish you more success as you continue to render service as Commander in Chief to our nation.
Thank you sir.
Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria
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Dr Francis Adedayo Faduyile
NMA President