are ‘treated’ within the walls of a hospital or clinic, the health professionals worldview is by default circumscribed to be limited by the walls of a hospital.
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our medical schools . The WHO in recent years has recognized this by promoting the concept of ‘Social Determinants of Health’ taking into consideration the fact that health is influenced and impacted by variables and factors outside the control or purview of the health practitioner. Does the clinical expertise of doctors or other healthcare experts give them any control over the social, political, economic, cultural, religious, technological and other factors that impact on health?
(Felix Obi is a Physiotherapist and Health Policy/Management Professional who works with an International Donor Agency in Abuja and can be reached via halal3k@yahoo.com)
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has…Margaret Mead
Good one here. There are so many things wrong with us in this country. Can you imagine well educated, literate and intelligent people causing unnecessary disaffection among ourselves? Instead of working together to build a health system that will stand the test of time with all the resources at our disposal, we are spending our quality time on irrelevant things. Like Felix right said, the trainings of our Medical Doctors do not cover health system management unless some who pursue such after their medical training and therefore, Medical Doctors are not necessarily experts Managers. In the UK and US the Secretaries of Health (SoH) are not Medical Doctors. In the UK the SoH has an MA in English and Secretary Sebelius of the US earns a BA and a Master of Public Administration. She has worked hard with President Obama to sign into law a landmark health care reform bill in the history of Americans. Nigerian professionals should stop behaving like they need to be taught to be reasonable. Sometimes we are a bunch of laughing stock, even to the uneducated, by using superiority contest as a clog in wheel of progress. The interest of our country and what is best for our health system should drive our actions. Cheers. Shola Adeyemi
Good one Felix. That was a good job well done. Let those with ears hear.
All those fighting and trading of words are simply from a bunch of charlatans looking selfishly to fill their pockets with no interest or consideration whatsoever for the people they are meant to advocate for. This is the height of ineptitude on the part of people that should help influence authorities and format our healthcare system. I am a Medical Doctor from Nigeria and with primary qualification from Nigeria unfortunately, but who is ashamed of NMA on this issue.
An associated that cannot produce a credible professional journal in it many years of existence still believing that the administration of healthcare delivery in our struggling country should be the preserve of it’s own. What a shame.
I weep for NMA.
Good points by Felix, but some clarification will be aposite.
Medical school training up to the 1980s included not only knowledge , skills and competence in clinical aspects but also public health ( in only undergraduate introductory public health) which I am not aware that any other para medical discipline underwent including nursing.
I am not aware that our revered and celebrated Ransome-kuti, the clinical paediatrician, had any specific management training before he set about his famous PHC revolution.
Prof. Eyitabo Lambo’s failure to get the National Health Bill through the National Assembly (2004-2007) may not be his fault, but a victim of Nigeria’s unseriousness about health altogether ( inspite of the megaphone declarations that ‘health is wealth’), but it signifies a major managerial deficit of his tenure at the apex of the Federal Ministry of Health.
I do not see legal technicians campaigning to be Attorney General or Judges or Chief Justice or even Barristers or Minister of Justice. Those of them who aspire to the zenith of the legal profession simply read Law whether in the regular daytime schools or in the nocturnal courses.
I do not see Draughtsmen and women maligning surveyors to become chief surveyors. Those of them who aspire to the top of the survey profession simply proceed to qualify graduate survey courses.
Ditto for engineering, quantity surveying, finance and a host other professions. Never mind the HND Engineering versus BSc Engineering imbroglio since Obasanjo’s first stint as Head of State ( I am told Obasanjo holds an HND).
Reluctantly, I mention that In England, there is a Chief Medical Officer of Health- always a medical doctor. In USA, there is a Surgeon-General – always a medical doctor. And so on and so forth.
Nigeria should establish a distinct office of Chief Medical Officer of Health who should always be a medical doctor. Then the position of Federal Minister of Health could be open to a GOOD ADMINISTRATOR with or without a medical degree.
I am told that there was such a post before independence and that he ( were all males), the Chief Medical Officer represented the Governor-General of Nigeria whenever he was away on Her Majesty’s assignment in London or elsewhere outside the country.
Dr Joseph Ana.
Author of ‘Whole System Change of Failing Health Systems’.
If we argue that the minister of health is political, then the office of the Surgeon General or Chief medical officer of health must be established. Contrary to what Felix wrote, the community health programme incorporates a lot of management in the curriculum which can also serve doctors in good stead.There is Attorney General and minister of justice and no other professional struggles that with the lawyer(although there is arguement to separate the two offices), so why this noise about the health sector?
Hello Chikwe,
I have read the nice submission of Obi Felix. I agreed with his analysis, but the fact remains that no matter who is made to head the health ministry, all that Nigerians want is positive result. Health ministerial leadership is basically an administrative role, though base on our level of development medical background should be very important.
Now we have a minister in person of Prof. C.O.Chukwu, all hands must be on desk to enable him actualize his targets.
My colleagues, I mean doctors and indeed all medical bodies that constitute the medical team should desist from strike actions and embrace dialogue in all ramifications. Strike actions for whatever reason(s) is unprofessional.
I am optimistic that a person of a professorial cadre and a renowned surgeon would be able to make an indelible mark of improvement on all aspects of our health sector.
The right atmosphere should be created for him. It is therefore high time all stakeholders in health sector should see one another as partners in progress and seize these barbaric antagonisms.
This is the only antidote for the politicians who capitalizes on such to deny the health professionals in this country their rightful positions.