ABUJA – The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), National Hospital, Abuja chapter, has called for[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″] holistic reforms in the residency training programme at the [pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]hospital and other public health institutions in Nigeria.
Its President, Dr Frank Nwanodu, made the appeal in Abuja on Monday at the scientific conference [pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]organised as part of activities to mark the association’s 2015 health
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week.
Nwanodu said an improved residency training programme would facilitate qualitative health care delivery in public health care centres in the country at reduced cost.
“There is a need to reappraise the residency training not only in terms of the attitude of doctors and the strike issue.
“But we should take a look at the environment and the facilities available in some of the centres,’’ he said.
According to him, some of the facilities are obsolete, there is need to address the issue of the trainer, upgrade them in specialised areas of modern medicine.
“These are the issues that government should address to improve residency training in Nigeria.
“If anyone is trying to undertake a reform in residency training and all he or she does is to look only at the issue of strike then that person is not being holistic.
“The current trend is for the authorities to look at the environment, the welfare, the facilities and other factors,’’ he said.
Nwanodu said resident doctors in the country would be grateful if authorities could adopt a holistic approach towards repositioning the residency training programme in Nigeria.
He said it was only under an improved environment that Nigeria would be able to develop specialised institutions for the management of complicated health issues within the country.
Earlier, the Chairman of the 2015 Conference of the ARD in the hospital, Dr Ekumakama Obasi, commended the association for organising the forum.
Obasi said Nigerians, especially stakeholders in the health sector, were expectant of reforms that would improve their level as well as quality of residency training in the country.
He said Nigeria was blessed with requisite capacities in manpower and resources but the right policies were needed to turn around the management of complicated health challenges in Nigeria.
Similarly, the Chairman of the National Hospital Board, Mr Okam Tony, reiterated government’s commitment to the training of manpower in the health sector.
Okam said the environment for residency training at the hospital was conducive, stressing that it was the best in the country.
“You know National Hospital is the apex hospital which has a full complement of about 100 consultants in diverse fields of medicine and so you expect the best of services and training.
“I am proud to tell you that capacity building and utilisation, we thrive on that, we have the capacity and the facilities for effective training.
“So, when you talk about capacity building at the National Hospital, it is the core of our business interest to invest in training of our resident doctors.
“We may be constrained in this area but with the little that we have, we are trying and that is why we always call on government to increase our allocation for training,’’ he said.
He assured the association of the hospital management’s continued support and cooperation for its activities.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that good will messages as well as lead papers on topical health issues were presented at the conference.
The theme of the conference is: “Rational use of antibiotics in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)’’. (NAN)
