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Cabinet: NAGGMDP urges Nigerian govs to appoint medical practitioners as Commissioner for Health
Damilola Alamu
Towards developing Nigerian health sector, governors have been implored to appoint trained and medically qualified persons as Honourable Commissioners for Health.
The charge was made by the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) at its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the NMA House, Lukosi road, Abeokuta, Ogun State, between Thursday 26th and Sunday 29th September, 2019.
This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the 2nd NEC meeting of the national officers in the 2019/2020 administration of the association and signed by the President and General Secretary of NAGGMDP, Dr. Abubakar Ayinla and Dr. Nura Abubakar respectively.
The association that commended President Muhammadu Buhari for putting ‘round-pegs’ into ‘round holes’ in the appointment of Ministers into the health ministry, urged governors to follow suit.
“NAGGMDP implores all the State Governors to follow suit in assigning roles to appropriately trained and medically qualified persons as Honourable Commissioners for Health and other key functional offices to discharge effective and qualitative health care to the citizens,” the communique said.
NAGGMDP then congratulated the newly appointed Ministers of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire and the Minister of State for Health, Senator (Dr.) Olorunimbe Mamora on their appointments.
The association, however, urged all state Governors not to renege in their constitutional role of entrenching an effective secondary health care system as they strive towards achieving Universal Health Coverage in their respective domains.
It also called for renewed commitment to accomplishing the various components to further strengthen the nation’s health care delivery, stressing the importance of human resources for effective health care delivery.
” NAGGMDP hereby calls on all State Governors to revisit their perspective on their employees and see them as key stakeholders and an inevitable tool that must be well catered for, as a necessity, towards accomplishing the campaign promises to the citizens.
” NAGGMDP further submits that the welfare of human resources for health is germane to an effective health care delivery. Hence State Governments that are yet to be up to date in the payment of salaries and allowances of their respective health care work force are implored to do so in the best interest of the citizens.
“The State Governments should give necessary support to the health care system towards strengthening it and eliminating drawbacks as occasioned with ‘last miles’, expiration of scarce consumables while under storage,” it added.
The association also enjoined state governments to improve on their alertness and be prepared to curtail spread of epidemic diseases, in the advent of any, especially in the face of its re-emergence in other countries of the world.
NAGGMDP then lauded the NMA leadership on their foresight in sustaining the overall image of the Medical profession especially as it plans to hold the Second National health summit.
It pledged to ensure that a give back to the community activity is undertaken across all states of the federation as a means of providing additional succour to indigent citizens through the association’s based ‘Community Health Care Intervention’.
