ABUJA – The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to ensure the speedy passage of the National Health Bill pending before the National Assembly.
Dr Kayode Obembe, the President of the association, made the appeal at the opening of the annual Physicians conference tagged “War against Ebola.’’
Obembe said that the quick passage of the bill would provide solutions to the current challenges bedevilling healthcare delivery in the country.
The president further appealed to the three tiers of government to address the deteriorating working conditions of doctors and dentists in primary and secondary healthcare by upgrading facilities in their domain.
Obembe commended the doctors for their hard work at sustaining healthcare industry at the outbreak of Ebola Virus Diseases (EVD).
He noted that the EVD outbreak was an opportunity for the physicians to reflect on their practices and revealed challenges facing healthcare delivery.
The president said that through harmonious relationship the health workers were able to make the nation Ebola-free.
Obembe said that the scourge of Ebola among West African populations was hazardous to the region, adding that public health emergency must be at alert to efficiently fight the disease.
He commended the efforts of late Dr Stella Adedaevoh and others at Consultant Hospital at containing the virus and prevented its further spread in the nation.
“The aim of the week is to celebrate the Physicians as national heroes whose impacts on healthcare delivery deserved recognition.
“This special event which is universally observed in some countries deserving physicians are singled out for awards and honour but in ours nothing of such.
“We must commend all doctors and other health workers who worked tirelessly at the isolation centres of infectious disease hospital in Yaba where infected Nigerians were being treated,’’ he said.
Dr Ibraham Wada, Chairman of the occasion, described the fight against Ebola as a sad event in the profession, saying that the association lost key members to the scourge.
Wada said that they paid heavy price for the entire nation, adding that if not for their sake the death toll would have risen to thousands.
He urged the association to institutionalise the profession by introducing an endowment fund to further assist in the fight against Ebola and other contagious diseases.
According to him, such endowment fund will go a long way to assist them in the procurement of necessary facilities and precautionary materials in their quest to rid the nation totally of Ebola.
Besides, Wada canvassed for the establishment of a political lobby committee by the association to promote the interest of its members at all levels of government.
He, therefore, donated N250, 000 each for the take of the proposed endowment fund and lobby committee, respectively. (NAN)
