Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) has reaffirmed its commitment to partner the government to reposition the health sector in line with international best standards.
AGPMPN would be celebrating its centenary anniversary in May 2021. And as part of the event, the association said it plans to give back to the society by working towards reducing the high rate of maternal and infant deaths in the country, through free medical services to one million mothers across the nation.
The medical programme is tagged: “Save one million Nigerian mothers initiative.”
Association National President, Ike Odo, disclosed this at a press conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
“We are concerned that everywhere you go on the shores of Africa and globally, when you compare the results of maternal and infant mortality, it comes to show that women die the highest in pregnancy and labour in Nigeria than they do anywhere in the world. Children under the age of five die the highest in Nigeria than they do anywhere else in the world,” Odo said.
According to him, the partnership with government became imperative to revamp the already deteriorating Nigerian medical sector.
He emphasised the meeting was to identify the challenges associated with the health sector and proffer solution to the government.
“We are here to discuss the health sector of Nigeria, to discuss the welfare of Nigerian doctors. To discuss our interest and partnership with government. To evaluate the health system and to discover for ourselves what the challenges are, and to take up the task and responsibility to fit to bring solution.
“As you all know, Nigeria has not done very well in the area of healthcare delivery. We have always known the health system of Nigeria is weak, it is sick, and very sick,” he said.
He urged the Federal Government to ensure the functionality of the health insurance scheme for private doctors as 70 percent of them play critical roles in the treatment of patients in Nigeria.
He commended Rivers State Governor, Nyesome Wike, for his achievement in the health sector, especially the construction of the Mother and Child Hospital.
“We are happy to be in a state where the leadership, under Wike, has shown the example of what the world wants to see. Yesterday, we were at the Mother and Child Specialist Hospital and we were elated at the vision and the passion. The commitment that the state government has put into that place. At the end of the day, that is like Dubai brought home, like America brought home.
“And if what we saw yesterday is activated, maintained and sustained with standard and quality consistently renewed, the question then would be why would a reasonable man or woman take his mother, sister, daughter or wife away from here to go to India, Dubai to go to America?”