PROTOCOL
It is my delight to be at this occasion marking the Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, the Lagos State branch. I am aware that this occasion brings together medical and dental doctors in both public and private practice either as owners or employees and professionals across the State to engage in purposeful deliberations on contemporary issues and challenges in the health sector and to chart the way forward for medicine and medical practice in Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole.
Distinguished guests, the medical profession is considered a noble profession and the doctors have been always compared and equated next to God. The Medical profession is essential and crucial to achieving sustainable healthcare management and administration in the country. Over the years, it has remained relevant and consistent in delivering basic healthcare services towards ensuring a healthy human community within the society.
At the same time, medical practice in Nigeria has evolved in scope and practice, in terms of changing disease patterns, patients’ needs, and social expectations with its attendant ground-breaking achievements.
However, the annual conference of the body of Medical doctors and dentists, therefore, is essential as it will afford you the opportunity to review your past achievements and project into the future. Medical practice is sensitive and significant to the healthcare of our people. Those saddled with the care of other members of the public must be diligent in the discharge of their responsibilities, and abide by the ethics of the profession.
As you converge here today, the challenge before you all is to review and update the effective mechanism you have put in place to regulate medical practice and improve its standard. All over the world, medical practice is advancing by the day, especially with the continued advance in technology. Ours must not be an exemption. Our medical doctors and health workers must rise to the challenges of globalization in medical practice. A system that ensures global networking for best practices in the profession must be pursued to enhance professionalism.
Ladies and gentlemen, as the theme of this gathering focuses on gaps in the healthcare reform strategic plans, it is pertinent to draw the attention of this noble men to some grey areas that require urgent need, which I believe should be some of the reasons for this convergence.
Over time, we have seen a growing commitment by Nigerian policymakers to address gaps in the health care system, including a strong focus on primary health care – the frontline of health. However, poor health outcomes persist throughout the country.
It has been argued in some quarters that some medical practitioners now use their noble profession as an avenue to exploit people. Several Nigerians have alleged that doctors in public hospitals even refer patients to their private clinics for treatment in order to make more money off them. Some are also accused of prescribing Caesarean Section for pregnant women because of its cost benefits when they might be able to be delivered of their children by themselves.
Likewise, the issue of some doctors’ nonchalant attitude to their patients calls for immediate address. The word noble means that a doctor should have qualities like compassion, caring, giving, sharing, concern, helping, etc. However, there are reports of medical practitioners who supposedly should be caring and compassionate, but operate otherwise.
Also, it is a serious matter that the law regulating private practices by medical doctors and dentists in public practices has been exploited by some doctors to shun their duties in public hospitals even during their official hours.
Permit me to add too that this association still has a lot to do in combating fake drugs in circulation.
Nevertheless, it is a common knowledge there is a constellation of social, economic and environmental challenges that are being experienced from hospitals nationwide, ranging from brain drain, poor remuneration, obsolete infrastructure, inadequate medical facilities and underfunding of the hospitals. Some of these issues are expected to be deliberated upon in the cause of this meeting towards having a panacea to them.
Building a high-performing health care system, accessible to all, in our country is a great challenge, yet we are optimistic that Nigeria is on the right path.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, while commending efforts of members of this esteemed association, especially those in the employment of the state government for their contributions to the healthcare delivery in the State, let me assure you of our concern and commitment as legislators towards ensuring the welfare of medical doctors, dentists and workers in the State. As you care for the sick and the feeble in the society, we also care about your welfare in and out of the hospital environment. We appreciate your commitment and selfless service to the society and we shall continue to do all within the available resources to ensure our medical doctors and health workers are comfortable while discharging their professional responsibilities.
Finally, I congratulate the executive and entire membership of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, the Lagos State branch on this occasion. It is therefore, my hope that at the close of this conference, your knowledge in medical practice would have been enhanced and enriched for future challenges in your esteemed profession.
Thanks for your listening pleasure.
Rt. Hon. Mudasiru Ajayi Obasa
Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly
