The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) yesterday (Saturday, November 30) in Abuja, the FCT, began a free medical outreach at the Mamusa community, Aco, Lugbe, Abuja, as part of its 3rd National Health Summit (NHS) National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has reported.
The NHS/NEC, which will run from Dec. 2 – 6, has its theme as: ‘Healthcare delivery in Nigeria: Translating policies to impact’.
The medical outreach is part of the humanitarian services the association usually carries out, in a gesture of giving back to the society that gave them so much in terms of their training and professional practice, according to Prof Bala Audu, NMA President.
“It is good to give back to society and when we do this, we consider those who are vulnerable, those who are poor, those who live in hard-to-reach areas and those who cannot afford medical treatment.
“The medical outreach was also to kickstart the NMA National Health Summit (NHS) and the National Executive Council (NEC),” the NMA president said.
Audu said that various issues affecting healthcare delivery in Nigeria will be discussed at the NHS/NEC.
Also speaking on the medical outreach, Dr Emeka Ayogu, Chairman, NMA -FCT, said the medical outreach was aimed at assisting those who could not access medical treatment for one reason or the other.
According to him, many Nigerians could not access healthcare either as a result of poverty, distance barriers or other reasons.
He said that the medical outreach would provide NMA with the opportunity to reach out to these categories of people and to bring to their doorsteps the medical treatment they desire.
Ayogu said the NMA would be offering to the people various medical services such as carrying out screening of various types – diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV and others.
He disclosed that the health summit would gather doctors from all parts of the country, and from all professions in the medical field to appraise and look at how the NMA could improve the country’s healthcare delivery.
According to him, it is time to stop the talk and translate all policies in the health sector into action and take the sector to greater heights.
Similarly, the summit and NEC meeting would afford doctors the opportunity to more widely appraise their professional performance with a view to knowing whether they are getting it wrong or right in the health sector, and the way forward.
“The health summit and the NEC meeting is an opportunity for us to bond and understand ourselves further, we are appealing to the government to take the health issues of the country as a priority,” Dr. Ayogu said.
“This is the second time the health summit is being held in Abuja; we are happy that Abuja is hosting it again.
“I want to thank the National President and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of NEC for giving us this opportunity.
“We are also calling on the government to create an enabling environment to encourage doctors and other health workers to be committed to work
“Government needs to make health services attractive like that of the advanced countries of the world, look at the security of health workers, working conditions, and working environment,” he said.
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