Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Worried by the continued exodus of health workers in Nigeria to overseas countries in search of greener pastures, the Association of Nigeria Physicians in the Americas, ANPA, has decided to stop the menace.
Addressing a press conference Monday in Umuahia, Abia State, on the sidelines of a 10-day free medical mission by ANPA in the state, the association’s National President, Dr Chinyere Anyogu, said ANPA would hold a health conference in Lagos next year.
She said that ANPA was collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Health on how to tackle the challenge by helping to train 1 million health workers in the country.
The ANPA President said the mission was to help deliver quality health care to Nigerians.
She explained that the current medical mission in Abia was to complement the commendable efforts of Gov Alex Otti in the health sector.
Dr Anyogu who said the team came with free drugs for patients, commended the state Government for its partnership.
She said that the team was in high spirit to handle the teeming patients that had registered for medical attention including hundreds of surgery cases.
Speaking at the press conference, Commissioner for Health, Dr Ngozi Okoronkwo, disclosed plans by the State Government to clear salary arrears owed medical doctors in the state by previous administrations.
She also said that Government had decided to increase the wages of health workers in the state to motivate them for efficient service delivery.
This, according to her, is part of strategies by the State Government to end the continued migration of health workers in search of greener pastures abroad.
The Commissioner further said that the State Government had plans to engage more health workers so as not to over-stretch the few available ones in the system.
She said that Gov. Alex Otti, would continue to prioritise the health sector including the welfare of health workers.
The Commissioner who said about N200 million was projected for the free medical mission, also disclosed that 500 patients had been captured for cataract surgery besides the over 300 other medical surgery cases.
According to her, over 7000 patients registered for the medical outreach.
Contributing, Chairman of the Mission, Dr Dele Ekusami, said the team comprised 60 volunteer physicians in different fields of medicine from the Americas, and 100 volunteer physicians from Nigeria.
He said Nigeria physicians in the Americas were sacrificing so much to carry out the annual medical mission in their bid to help improve on the health of Nigerians.
According to him, the free medical mission is a way of giving back to society in line with their vision to have a healthier nation.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman, Local Organising Committee and the Chief Medical Director, CMD, Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Umuahia, Professor Azubuike Onyebuchi, said adequate arrangements had been put in place to ensure the success of the outreach.
He commended the ANPA team and other volunteer physicians as well as other partners for their sacrifices to help save lives.
Ikengaonline reports that venues for the outreach include: the Federal Medical Centre Umuahia, Abia State Diagnostic Hospital Umuahia, the Amachara Specialist Hospital, and Madonna Hospital Umuahia.
