The Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Azinge made the pledge during the 2017 Delta State Nigerian Medical Association Annual General Meeting/Scientific Conference, held at the Platinum Exquisite Hotel and Suites, Abraka.
According to the Commissioner, the theme of this year’s conference - ‘Medical Tourism: The Implication for an Unhealthy Economy’ is particularly apt, as it speaks of quality of service delivery and its impact on the confidence of patients in health services which, in turn, impacts on the national and sub-national economy.
Dr. Azinge posited that the State’s central focus of healthcare delivery is centered on continuously increasing value for the patient with value defined as “Health Outcomes Achieved per Naira Spent” and by so doing, the confidence of patients in our system will be boosted.
He said that huge amounts of funds flow out of our already recessed economy as Nigerians go out in search of those qualities of service they believe are not available in Nigeria.
As part of measures to reverse this tide, Dr Azinge used the medium to call on doctors to embark on enlightenment efforts of Nigerians on what they can offer in-country and ensure continuous quality improvement on our services.
He proffered that in order to ensure that the acceptability, effectiveness and efficiency of our service-delivery system can stem the outflow of capital from our economy on medical tourism, it is imperative for the public and private sectors to join hands together in mutually-rewarding partnerships.
To this end he said Government shall create an enabling environment for investors in healthcare business to receive equitable return on investment and for the return to Nigeria of the huge Nigerian human resource for health that has left the country in search of greener pasture.
In pursuit of this objective, Commissioner Azinge revealed that the Delta State Government, under the leadership of Governor, His Excellency Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa, has opened its doors to individuals and corporate bodies who are willing to partner with it at all levels of healthcare delivery citing the encouraging reports from the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, partnership with the private sector.
He welcomed interests from the public-private sector collaboration initiatives saying if well packaged will improve the State’s health sector capacity to offer quality services to patients and retain their confidence.
According to him areas opened up include Diagnostic Services: Within-hospital and Stand-alone; Staff training; Facility management: Utility services in special units within healthcare institutions; Medical Village(clinical (intra-mural) and hospitality services); ICT in healthcare services; Full complement Hospital Information System; Medical products production; Medical equipment supply and maintenance; Healthcare Waste Management Services; Emergency Medical Services (EMS); Research and Development of Herbal Medicine; Awareness creation on matters of public health importance and the Production of movies with health content.
In his welcome address, the Delta State Branch Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Otene Ikechukwu noted that doctors are faced with increasingly disturbing challenges even to the point of gradually becoming a thoroughly loathed and misunderstood professional by colleagues in the workplace, within and outside the hospital such as the Ministry and the university community.
According to him, “oftentimes, the doctor has had to shoulder the responsibility of and crying to the government for improvement of healthcare facilities and delivery in Nigeria to cater for the needs of the Nigerian populace to the extent that it would generally become unnecessary and superfluous to seek healthcare outside the shores of this nation”.
Dr. Ikechukwu further highlighted the pragmatic and people oriented leadership; welfare of doctors and the purchase of a functional SUV as part of the current EXCO’s achievements, with a promise to perfect the ground work to kick-start the building of the State Secretariat in Asaba.
Earlier, Dr. Okumagba Tudjegbe, Chairman, Local Organizing Committee, said in his welcome address, that the healthcare sector and medical profession in the country is bedeviled with lots of ills, and is reflective of the current challenges in the nation, calling on the attendees “to consider the need to set the pace for innovative reform of the Nigerian Medical Association starting from our local branch; promote peace, reconciliation and unity, and align the healthcare sector and medical practice in Nigeria with global best practices”.
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