COMMUNIQUE BY THE NIGERIA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (NMA) AT THE END OF HER AUGUST 2013 NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL (NEC) MEETING 'SAKKWATO 2013' HELD BETWEEN SUNDAY 25TH AUGUST AND 1ST SEPTMBER 2013 AT GIGINYA CORAL HOTEL SOKOTO, SOKOTO STATE.
PREAMBLE
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) held her August 2013 National Executive Council (NEC) meeting "SAKKWATO 2013" and unveiling of the Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt. Hon.
Aminu Wazlri Tambuwal CFR as the Face of Healthy lIving and Champion of Health Checkups in Nigeria at GIGINYA CORAL HOTEL Sokoto, Sokoto State between Sunday 25th August and
Sunday 1st September 2013. The Theme of the NEC meeting was "Promoting Medical Check-ups as a key to preventing sudden death".
The activities of "Sakkwato 2013" commenced with the successful conduct of a National Medical mission in the three Senatorial districts of Sokoto State with comprehensive Medical and
Surgical/Pathological (Laboratory) Services at Tambuwal village; as well as comprehensive medical and surgical screening services at the newly built Wamakko Orthopedic Hospital and at
Gwadabawatown. In all, 3700 patients received treatments with over 90 surgical operations performed free of charge. The opening ceremony of the National Executive Council meeting held on
Friday 30th August 2013 and was chaired by Senator Adamu Aliero (former Governor of Kebbi State) who was represented by Prof. Kaoje.
Also in attendance were the Executive Governor of Sokoto State, His Excellency Alhaji (Dr) Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (Sarkin Yamman Sokoto) and the Honourable Minister of Health,
Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu (who was represented). The Royal Father of the day was His Eminence, Alhaji (Dr) Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar III CFR, the Sultan of Sokoto and President of the
Nigerian National Supreme Council for Islamic affairs. The high point of the opening ceremony was the unveiling of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal CFR, Speaker of the House of
Representatives as the 'Face of Healthy living anQ.Champion of health check-ups in Nigeria'. The Hon Speaker in receiving the investiture with enthusiasm assured that all resources . and
opportunities of his privileged office shall be deployed to bring the benefits of the healthy living and health check-up campaign to all Nigerians.
There were also Continuous Medical Education programmes with presentations on topics such as: "Medical Practice in the face of insecurity by Professor Toafeek Abraham"; "Challenges of
Emergency Preparedness in Medical and Surgical Practice" by Professor S.A. Isezuo; "An Overview of Dental Implanto!ogy" by Dr Abdullrazaq Taiwo; "Medico-legal deaths and death
certification" by Professor M.D. Buhari; and "Labour laws, Unionism and Industrial dispute resolution in Nigeria" by Dr J.N. Olarewaju.
OBSERVATIONS AND RESOLUTIONS
Following exhaustive deliberations at the National Executive Council meeting, the following observations and resolutions were made:
1) THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, RT.HON.AMINU WAZIRI TAMBUWAL (CFR) AS THE FACE OF HEALTHY LMNG AND CHAMPION OF HEALTH CHECK-UPS IN NIGERIA
As part of her strategies of reducing the spine-chilling burden of Non-Communciable Diseases (NCDs; Hypertension, DiabetesMellitus, Cancers, Respiratory Diseases-, etc.) and the spectre of
Sudden death in Nigeria (which is largelytraceable to the poor health-seeking behaviour and poor altitude to health check-ups of a large majority of Nigerians), the Nigerian Medical Association
focused on the theme "Promottng Medical Check-UPS as a key to preventing sudden death" during her August 2013 National Executive CounciL
(NEC) meeting.
NEC noted with satisfaction the enthusiastic acceptance of the Ambassadorial insignia of the 'Face of Healthy living and Champion of Health check-ups in Nigeria' by His Excellency Rt. Hon.
Aminu Waziri Tambuwal CFR, Speaker of the House of Representatives. NEC warmly welcomed his great disposition to use his exalted office to partner with the NMA to carry out necessary
health education and health promoting campaigns to the Nigerian public.
NEC called on all Nigerians, including public and political office holders, to regularly consult their licensed medical doctor/dentist in the various hospitals in Nigeria, for health check.
The Association also restated her earlier call on the Federal Government to declare a public holiday for health check-ups in Nigeria, laced with some incentives.
2) MEDICAL AND DENTAL COUNCIL OF NIGERIA (MDCN)
NEC noted with great dismay the persisting delay in the inauguration of the Governing Board of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), despite several appeals made by the NMA to
Government. The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria remains greatly handicapped by the fact that there is currently no judge/Council Chairman to preside over investigated cases
of negligence and unethical conduct brought before it. The Medical and Dental Practitioners' Act, CAP M8 LFN 2004, provides that only the Chairman of the Council shall preside over the Tribunal
(which has the status of a high court). Over the last 10 years the Governing Board of the MDCN has cumulatively not been in place for more than four years. The last Council was dissolved in
2010 with no replacement since then. All calls made to government to inaugurate the Council have so far not yielded any result.
The implication of this is that the Medical and Dental Practitioners' Tribunal is non-existent in the country today; a situation akin to a country without Police cm and justice system. How well
Nigerian medical practice is regulated today, including the fight against quackery and other unwholesome practices, are better imagined than experienced.
NEC therefore restates her strident call on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR not to delay any further to direct the inauguration of the Governing Board of the Medical and Dental Council
of Nigeria (MDCN) to enable it perform its statutory regulatory functions.
The NMA strongly advises the Federal Government to always insulate the MDCN from the usual dissolution of political Boards of Management. MDCN must be granted a protected tenure to allow
for sustained progress in the regulation of medical/dental practice, so as to guarantee the quality of medical care and safety of patients.
NEC resolved to explore all legitimate avenues and means to facilitate the inauguration of the MDCN Governing Board as doctors in Nigeria can no longer afford to tolerate the embarrassing
situation into which the MDCN has been plunged by Government's action.
3) ULTIMATIUM
NEC resolved to issue a 21 day ultimatum with effect from Monday, 2nd September 2013, to the Federal Government of Nigeria to tackle the myriad of challenges and anomalies confronting
Nigeria's health system, including previous demands made on her as well as the on-going destruction of the fabric of professionalism and hierarchical order in Nigeria's public hospitals and the
health sector. The non-negotiable stance is the enthronement of professionalism, hierachical order and internation best practices in Nigeria's public hospitals and healthcare sector.
4) IPPIS
NEC resolved not to further tolerate the dislocation and unqualified suffering of Doctors and other health workers, who are being owed salaries due to non-payment of wages occasioned by
recurrent irregularities in the implementation of the centralized integrated personnel payroll information system (IPPIS). Since the commencement of the implementation of IPPIS in federal public
hospitals it has greatly undermined the welfare of doctors many of whom have had to endure over 3mths of non-payment of salaries due to gross irregularities in the implementation of IPPIS.
NEC therefore calls on government to urgently corract the numerous IPPIS irregularities 'Within the next 21days (with effect from Monday 2th September 2013) or stop the use of IPPIS as a
means of payment of the salaries of doctors in public hospitals, pending when the irregularities in the IPPIS are sorted out with a perfect innocuous system put in place.
NEC also calls on the Federal Government to speedily sort out the gross underfunding of the Residency Training Program in Nigeria, particularly due to deficits in the 2013 Federal Budget.
5) TARABASTATE
The NMA is deeply concerned with the anxiety and imbroglio occasioned by the fitness or otherwise ofthe Governor of Taraba State, His Excellency, Pharm. Danbaba Suntai. While NMA heartily
welcomes back home the Governor of Taraba State, the Association advises the parties involved in the quagmire to sheath their swords and abide with the provisions of the
Nigerian constitution. NMA is very- prepared to make available her expert members who are professionals in various fields of medicine to constitute a medical board to resolve the lingering
question of the medical fitness of the Governor and any other public or political office holder. The NMA also uses this opportunity to restate her patriotic calf on the National Assembly and the
Federal Government to urgently establish the Office of the Surgeon-General of Nigeria who would ordinarily have been saddled with the responsibility of independently assessing the medical
fitness of public and political office holders, and thus save the nation the great embarrassment and distress caused by the unanswered question of the medical fitness or otherwise of our
public and political leaders.
6) OUT-SOURCING AND PUBllC-PRIV ATE PARTNERSHIP IN NIGERIA's PUBllC HOSPITALS
NEC noted the salutary effects of outsourcing of services and Public-Private Partnership in the healthcare system of India and most other countries Nigerians travel to, in the search for medical
care. NEC also noted the embrace of the concept by the Federal Government of Nigeria, as well as som pUblic and private healthoare institutions in Nigeria with evident benefits to consuniers'Sf
healthcare services. NEC therefore restates its calion the Federal Governmenfto accelerate the Public-Private Partnership arrangement and outsourcing of some services in Nigeria's public
hospitals, as this will help improve performance, service availability and delivery in Nigeria's hospitals.
7) INSEGURTIY
While NEC appreciated the efforts ~f the Federal Government to address insecurity in the country, she however observed that a lot still needs to be done to arrest insecurity, kidnapping and
other forms of criminality in Nigeria.
NEC received with great shock the gruesome murder (last night) by unknown gunmen of the Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre, Azare, Bauchi State, Dr. Musa Muhammad Dambam. NEC
deeply condoles the family of our departed colleague and calls on the Government and the security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of the dastardlyact.
APPRECIATION
On behalf of the NMA, we wish to place on record our profound appreciation of His Excellency, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal CER, for his
understanding and physical presence at the ceremony. We are also grateful to His Excellency, Alh. (Dr) Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (Sarkin Yamman Sokoto), the Executive Governor of
Sakata
State, for his physical presence and support for the organization of the NEC meeting. We are extremely grateful to our Royal Father, His Eminence, Alh. (Dr) Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar III CFR,
the Sultan of Sakata and President of the Nigerian National Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, for his physical and royal presence, as well as Senator Adamu Aliero, the
formerGovernorof Kebbi State for his support. We appreciate the Presence of our other invited dignitaries, including the Hon. Minister of Health, Commissioners for Health, particularly the Kogi
State Hon.Commissioner for Health, Dr Omede ldris, the Sokoto State Commissioner for Information, Mallam (Dr) aruadi Bako, the CMD and Management of UDUTH, the CMD of ABUTH, Prof.
LawaI Khalid mni, all Past Presidents of NMA, Dr. Ben Anyene and other medical and dental eIders. We appreciate our Guest Lecturer and resource persons who found time and space to be
with us.
We are grateful to all those who worked round the clock to ensure the success of this NEC meeting and Medical Mission in the three senatorial districts of Sokoto state, particularly the Sakata
State branch Chairman, Dr Abubakar Panti, and members of the Local Organizing Committee for "Sakkwato 2013", members of the North-West zone of NMA, all National Officers of NMA, the
Chairman of the NMA Medical Mission Committee, the Chairman of the NMA Healthy Doctors and Welfare Committee, the Chairman of the NMA Conference Organizing Committee, the Chairman of
the NMA Committee on World Health Days, NMA State/FCT branches, NEC members, Affiliate Groups of NMA, and all other well-meaning Nigerians. We must state that the Sokoto State branch of
NMA admirably executed the responsibilities conferred on her. We are immensely-appreciative of the media for their profound support. Our immense gratitude also goes to all those who
contributed financially and materially towards the successful organization of the National Executive Council meeting. We wish to re-assure all Nigerians that NMA remains firmly resolved to
focus on the development of the health sector by defending and promoting professionalism and international best practices.The Association shall continually defend good governance in all
spheres of our professional and national existence.
We shall strengthen our bonds with other progressive stakeholders, Nigerians and citizens of the world to promote the Nigerian dream; the dream of our founding fathers and Statesmen who
fought and died for independence and demorcracy.
God bless Nigeria.
DR. OSAHON ENABULELE DR. AKPUFUOMA L. PEMU
PRESIDENT SECRETARY GENERAL
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