The 45th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Paediatric Accociation of Nigeria took place from 20th to 24th January, 2014 at Tinapa Business Resort, Calabar, Cross River State.

 

The theme of the conference was Adolescent Health in Nigeria: present status, challenges and prospects. The sub-themes were Bridging the Technological Gap in Child Care in Nigeria:  Paediatric Gastroenterology, Neonatal intensive care, Malaria vaccine and Pneumonia. The Excellency Senator Liyel Imoke, represented by the Deputy Governor of Cross Rivers State, Barr. Effiok Cobham attended te opening ceremony and declared the conference opened. Other state Executive council members at the opening ceremony were Prof Angela Oyo Ita and Mr.Akin Rickets, Commissioners for Health and Information, respectively as well as the Secretary to the State government Mr. Mike Aniah. The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. James Epoke, represented by the Chairman Committee of Deans, Prof. Eugene Aniah chaired the opening ceremony.

There were two pre-conference workshops/trainings-a Nconatal Resuscitation Training for doctors and Nurses (in collaboration with Latter Day Saint Charities (USA) and a paediatric Endoscopy course and demonstration for doctors. One hundred and forty-two participants, including 77 doctors and 64 nurses, were tranined in neonatal resuscitation and resuscitation kits were distributed to all represented centers. Resource persons from Nigeria and South Africa trained Thirty-four doctors in Paediatric Endoscopy.

The public was enlightened about the Paediatric Association of Nigeria, her vision, objectivers, activites, and membership at a world press coference held at the Ernest bassey Nigeria Union of Journalists Press Centre, State Housing Estate, Calabar, complemented with a question-and-answer session. There were courtesy calls to the CMD, Univesity of Calabar Teaching Hospital, and the Commissioner for Health, Cross River State. An early morning walk with the theme Adolescence: a bridge to adulthood; handle with care held on 21st January, 2014.

About two hundred members and adolscents participated in two-kilometer walk that received coverage in both the print and electronic media. It ended with a public lecture on adolescence at the Government Secondary School, Akim, CalabarEight Hundred delegates and invited speakers (doctors, Nurses and allied health workers) from across Nigeria and other parts of the world attended the conference. The keynote address (Adolescent Health in Nigeria: present status, challenges and prospects) was given by Prof. Nwandiuto Akani, Professor of Paediatrics, University of Port Harcourt. She drew attention to the lack of adequate attention to adolescents in Nigeria and collaboration needed to reduce the problems at this period of growth.

There were four plenary sessions and eight symposia. The scientific seeions featured 100 oral and 20 poster presentations cutting across different subspecialties of Paediatrics. An eminent Paediatrician, Professor Angels Okolo, was honoured with the Dr. and Mrs. Bolaji Ajenifuja Distinguished Paediatrician Award for 2014.

 

During the conference, the following observations were made:

1. Adolescen health care in Nigeria is in its infancy, as many health institutions do not have facilities to take care of adolescents.

2. Adolescents in Nigeria are faced with many problems, including sexual abuse, early marriage, lack of education and early pregnancy with attendant school dropouts

3. Children and adolescents are found in and on the streets in Nigeria, out of school, unemployed and with no plans for them 

4. Application of modern technology to pediatric practice in deficient in Nigeria.

5. The National Newborn Action Plan suffers poor co-ordination mortality.

6. Neonatal mortality remains a leading cause of Uder-5 mortality in Nigeria.

7. The average child: paediatrician ratio of 157,878:1 for the country is low thus contributing to high childhood morbidity and mortality.

8. A significant number of deliveries stil occur in insupervised facilities nationwide.

9. Malaria and prieumonia are still common causes of childhood morbidity and mortality in Nigeria and vaccinations against these diseases are either not yet acailable or widespread.

 

The conference therefore made the following recommendations:

1.There should be incentives to retain more paediatrician across the country. Government at all levels, institutions and private organizations should encourage interested doctors to go for residency training in paediatrics with the subspecialties of neinatal and adolescent medicine in focus.

2. Tertiary healt institutions should adopt health centres in their communities to supervise and thereby encourage patronage of our mothers to deliver in these centres.

3. Paediatricians should lead the coordination of the multiple neonational action plans 

4. Adolescent health care should be developed as a sub specialty of paediatric parctice in Nigeria.

5. To reduce neonatal mortality in Nigeria, there is a need to improve the training, practice and infrastructural support for Neonatal Medicine.

6. School meal within the context of the context of the school health programme in Nigeria should commence in all states of the federation where it has not yet stated.

7. The bridging of the technolgical gap should be pursued to improve paediatrics in the sub-region and to increase medical tourism in Nigeria.

8. Vaccination against prieumonia should be a malaria vaccine which when it become recommended and available should be scaled up widely.

 

The Association Commits itseld to:

1. Ensuring that all hospitals and health institutions are equipped with endoscope to make diagnosis and management of childhood gastrointestinal problems easier.

2. Continue to advocate for children and liaise with leaders at all levels of government on the necessity of eradicating the problem of street childrem

3. Setting up adolescent medicine units in paediatric departments of teaching hospitals and federal medical centres in the country 

4. Form and maintain national and international collaborations in the area of neonatology and other paediatric specialties.

 

Signed

Prof. Adebiyi Olowu

National President

Dr. Jerome Elusiyan

National Sceretary