Conference Report
MANSAG 20th AGM:PlymouthPosted by Dr G.T.Igodo Sun, January 17, 2010 19:04:26There are 52 Teaching/Specialist centres in Nigeria yet the average Nigerian has no access to basic health care. There is a growing recognition of the strategic role that Africans in Diaspora can play in the development and strengthening of health systems in their countries of origin. Nigerian health care professionals in the UK and US represent a huge percentage of the best health care professionals produced by Nigeria. The UK has the second largest population of Nigerian doctors outside Nigeria – second only to the US. Most people will benefit from mentoring or being mentored in one form or the other. No government can adequately satisfy all the needs of the people. There is a role for Private Public Partnership and an enabling environment must be created by government. The Garki Hopspital Abuja project demonstrates that Private Public Partnership is a viable proposition but very hard work! A call for dialogue between MANSAG, ANPA and the Federal Ministry of Health on:
1.Developing a strategy for a healthier Nigeria
2.Including MANSAG and ANPA into the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council Board
3.Exploring creative and active involvement in medical education in a well defined and organised fashion in Nigeria.
4.Technology transfer must be specific and directed. If planning to, please send equipment directly to hospitals likely to benefit.
Professor Osotimehin, Honorable Federal Minister for Health urged MANSAG to mentor NMA in order to restore the professional image of doctors in Nigeria. He further stated that medical tourism is unacceptable and that the Federal Government would bring people with skills to add value to what it does. To create a new institutional framework to ensure better primary health care, a new national health plan would be signed into law in November 2009. The National Health Bill provides rules and responsibilities, for example, the Federal Government is to spend 2% of consolidated revenue on health. The Federal Government was asked to create a new National Institute of Health to spearhead disease based development of health services and urged to build a National Kidney Centre to lead the development of kidney transplantation in Nigeria.
The role of Nigerians in the Diaspora in Health Care Delivery in Nigeria:
1. Participate in Public-Private Partnership in Health
2. Training for all professional cadres directly or through telemedicine/e-health to include both undergraduate medical education and skills transfer at the postgraduate level
3. Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) - establishment and equipping of state of the art hospitals to reduce medical tourism abroad
4. Provide technical assistance/Consultancies, for example, the National Strategic Health development plan (currently coordinated by a Nigerian from the Diaspora-UK
5. Develope a database of Nigerian health professionals who can at short notice provide technical assistance and consultancy services.
Full report by Mr Jacob Akoh, LOC Chairman, available soon in the members area
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