By Chioma Obinna

MEDICAL doctors in Lagos State have bee encouraged to put patients’ care at the centre of their practice even as they argued for  procurement processes in hospitals to be streamlined to ensure technical and financial efficiency. The doctors should also assert themselves as leaders in the hospitals and show that they are consultants in their chosen field.

Participants at the 2019 Leadership Retreat and Health Summit of the  Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Lagos State chapter,  urged doctors to be assertive.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Titilayo Gonzalez, tasked the  NMA to rise up to the numerous challenges in the area of treatment and saving lives during emergencies

“We are hoping that this retreat will help us  achieve more in terms of treatment and saving patients’ lives so that when emergencies are brought to the hospital we will work together as a team,’’ Gonzalez added.

doctors

She maintained that quality leadership would help in reducing the unacceptably high mortality indices.

In his contribution, the Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Babatunde Ipaye noted: “As leaders in the health sector, one key management responsibility is to ensure that our procurement system is safeguarded because whatever system you adopt will eventually translate to what gets into the stomach of patients.

“The way we procure drugs must be streamlined to ensure technical and financial efficiency so that the quality is guaranteed along the logistics pipeline from the point of procurement.

“We must procure where possible from the manufacturers, and where the manufacturers are not in the country we must procure from distributors and sales agent that have the manufacturers’ authorisation.”

https://newlive.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/88-doctors-quit-kogi-civil-service-nma/

On his part, former Lagos State Commissioner for Health and Education, Dr Leke Pitan identified inadequate resource management as one challenge causing a lot of crisis in the health sector.

Pitan said: “Some human attitudinal aspect comes in when governments do not respond early or promptly and keep procrastinating. If we can appreciate that health ought to be managed as a business, albeit a social business, in the sense that there will be supply and demand sides; we just need to ensure both are optimal in level.”

On his part, the Chairman, NMA, Lagos branch, Dr Saliu Oseni, said the retreat and health summit was part of efforts to improve policies and implementation in the health sector of Lagos state.

“In view of the fact that there will be a change in the political baton in the state soonest, it has become crucial for us to review the recurrent challenges affecting health care delivery in the state and indeed the country at large and make available workable solutions.

“In this regard, it has become pertinent to engage the stakeholders on attitudinal issues and strategy to improve performance and work output, and issues surrounding industrial disharmony towards providing measures to minimise it,” he stated.