Gyang Bere, Jos

Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has said that lack of adequate funding to the health sector by the Federal Government has given room to emergence of some killer diseases in the country.

Chairman of NMA Plateau State, Dr. Meshak Daniel, said this, on Thursday, during the 2018 Annual General Meeting with a theme ‘Effective Advocacy for Better Health Care Delivery in Nigeria’ and held at the Eliel Centre Jos, Plateau State.

Said he, “We are all aware that resource allocation in the health sector is grossly inadequate and far below WHO recommendation.

“Therefore, doctors as leaders in the health sector need to know the critical role of lobbying in other to attract more funding in the health sector. Proper advocacy/lobbing is no crime if executed within the ambit of the law.”

Dr. Daniel, who was represented by Dr. Dajel Titus Bulus, however, challenged medical practitioners in the country, to engaged into politics to be able to lobby for more funding for the sector.

He said the Association, in collaboration with HEART AIDS Foundation, has open a Heart Surgery centre, in the Jos University Teaching Hospital , where children and adult with heart defect were being treated without having to travel abroad.

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Dr. Daniel stressed that the body had visited several Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp where members were stationed to provide free medical treatment and relief materials for the displaced persons.

He urged Federal Government to construct trauma healing centres in Plateau villages where over 200 persons perished recently and properties destroyed as a result of Fulani herdsmen invasion.

Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, however, tasked the Federal Government to put more emphasis on advocacy in its effort towards effective heath care delivery system in the country.

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Governor Lalong, who was represented by Commissioner of Health, Dr. Kuden Kamshak, also called for more doctors to be involved in politics so as to addressed some of the health sector challenges.

He stressed the need for advocacy if the Federal Government hopes to achieved some progress in health sector which includes the universal health coverage, and the need to set aside fund for health care delivery.

He applauded the NMA for their timely intervention during the recent killings in Plateau State which created a lot of IDPs and the NMA provided free medical services for those that were injured and called for more collaboration between the state government and the NMA.