Ado-Ekiti –  Medical practitioners in Ekiti are set to begin routine treatment of common ailments in rural rural communities free of charge.

Dr Abiola Omodan, the President of the Association of Resident Doctors, University Teaching Hospital (UTH) Ado-Ekiti, disclosed this on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti at the maiden edition of the association’s annual lecture titled “Medical Ethics in the Face of Emerging Medical Legal Issues in Nigeria”.

Omodan said that the initiative was aimed at complementing government’s efforts toward providing adequate healthcare for the people.

He explained that one of the objectives of the association was to promote improved healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

The guest lecturer, Chef Afe Babalola (SAN), called for public private participation in the management of the nation’s health scheme.

Babalola, the proprietor of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), also noted that intensified poverty reduction programmes were crucial to the attainment of sustainable healthcare in Nigeria.

According to him, there should be continuous and intensive programmes to provide new medical facilities and equipment and replace obsolete ones.

He urged government to continue to encourage and support NAFDAC as well as reform other regulatory agencies to live up to their responsibilities.

“Medical practitioners should be more forthcoming in exposing their erring colleagues,’’ he said.

He also counselled medical and dental professionals to always ensure the highest degree of care, noting that their  profession involved dealing directly with human life.

Oba Emmanuel Adebayo, the Elemure of Emure-Ekiti, was chairman of the occasion, which also attracted the Chief Medical Director of UTH, Dr Patrick Adegun and the former Deputy Governor, Dr Sikiru Lawal, among others.

The association also used the occasion to raise funds for the construction of its proposed N30 million secretariat. (NAN)