By Sola Ogundipe

The Federal government must change its current focus on the treatment and cure of diseases and, rather, embrace the practice of taking care of the overall wellness of Nigerians if the currently poor health indices of the country are to improve.

Prof Frances Ajose, who gave the assertion ahead of her investiture as the 22nd President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, MWAN, Lagos State branch, argued that Nigeria as a country must become more pragmatic in resolving nagging health problems bedeviling its populace.

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Ajose, who regretted that Nigeria currently has the highest number of child brides in the world, remarked that advancing the health of Nigerians requires collective responsibility.

“We have not achieved significant successes in the health of the people over the years because we are focusing only on diseases and not on wellness.

” We are not focusing on wellness in Nigeria, but on disease prevention and the government must change the focus. The goal of our biennium is to change the focus of the government from disease focus on wellness.

“This is why we are bringing all the sectors together. We want to let all the different sectors know that they play a significant role in the health of all Nigerians

According to Ajose: “The people are drinking bad water, breathing poor quality air and traveling in inadequate transportation. They are also poorly educated.

“If we mobilise the relevant ministries, and people to focus on the health of Nigerians, we will promote health and stop targeting diseases.

“This is what Lagos MWAN has set out to change in the incoming dispensation. We know that if we really want to solve the problem of healthcare in Nigeria, we have to go to the schools because that is where we can begin to educate and equip young girls and future mothers-to-be to face consequences of maternal mortality and high infant mortality, ” Ajose avowed.

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Further, the new President argued: “We are not going to wait until these children get married and begin to have children and go through the problems and sickness before we intervene. We want to prevent all these by being pragmatic; we are not going to talk, but act.

“We do not want our women to develop cancer before providing intervention. Our Women Wellness Centre at 34 Market Street, Oyingbo, Lagos, has been educating and screening women on their general wellness and educating them on instances that lead to breast and cervical cancer so that they can make informed choices.”

At the official installation ceremony of the new president for the 2019-2021 biennium, which took place during the Association’s 21st biennial conference, themed “Advancing the Health of Nigerians in the 21st Century: Beyond Rhetoric” with various sub-themes, the Lagos State 1st Lady, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu was officially decorated.

The MWAN is an NGO where some use their feminine intuition to complement services of government in health theme is beyond the rhetoric. we will be giving the facts and figures of our delivery at every intervention and impact.

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