The Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN), Mushin Zone, has asked the federal government to improve on healthcare delivery by creating an enabling environment for the masses to access medical service.
The association made this call at an award and dinner ceremony to commemorate its 25th anniversary in Lagos.
Speaking during the programme, retired Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health , Dr. Adetoun Davies implored doctors to engage more on community service to enhance health education.
She equally tasked doctors to take good care of themselves, even as they take care of their patients.
Speaking further, State Chairman of AGPMPN, Dr. Tunji Akintade, advised doctors to think outside the box.
He said: “You need to move beyond the practice and engage in the business of medicine. Apart from your professional practice, you need business knowledge to excel in the business of medicine”, he said.
Part of the activities lined up to mark the association’s silver jubilee was a medical outreach extended to Mushin community.
The essence of this according to the President of the association, Mr Popoola Fatai, was to raise awareness on the need for regular medical checkup.
The outreach, which took place at Area D Police Command in Mushin, recorded huge participation from residents in the area including, traders and police officers.
Speaking during the outreach, Fatai stated that initiative like this was important once in a while, especially as many people get too busy for medical check-up.
He said: “The outreach covered health screening, consultation, counselling as well as free drugs for ailment. We believe this would help in catering for those who can’t access medical service due to financial limitations.
Fatai also appealed to the federal government to strengthen the Nigerian Health Insurance Scheme for effectiveness.
According to him, a lot of lives have been sent to early grave due to the weakness of the scheme.
He said that many people have resorted to alternative means of treatment because they cannot afford medical bills, while some are dying in silence.
“If the NHIS was working right, it’s a step to getting health care delivery right in this country”, he advised.