The Guild of Medical Directors congratulates the good people of Nigeria on the occasion of the celebration of the 57th Anniversary of independence. We wish the country and her citizens present happiness and future prosperity.
At this juncture it is critical for us to reflect on the state of the country’s healthcare system. There is little doubt that adequate and comprehensive health care is still out of the reach of the majority of our citizens. Many of our countrymen continue to seek medical treatment abroad, occasioning the loss of billions of dollars to the economy. This is also at the expense of our national pride.
It is therefore imperative that we must seek ways to expand the coverage of the National Health Insurance scheme and to find ingenious ways to engage the existing primary facilities particularly in the private sector. In the United Kingdom, most people live within a few miles of a well run Primary care facility, with good connections to secondary and tertiary facilities. This should be our overall objective in bringing the objectives of the NHIS scheme to fruition in the lives of many of our countrymen.
Our country is now 57 years old and it is incumbent on us to find solutions to our own problems that are at once practical and responsive to our peculiar situation. We in the Guild are not in doubt that, with cooperation on all sides, it should not be difficult for us to achieve our dreams as a nation.
Happy Independence Day to all our bothers and sisters.
Professor Femi Dokun-Babalola National President, GMD