By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – THE President of the World Medical Associations (WMA), Dr Osajon Enabulele on Wednesday urged physicians to report any form of inappropriate working conditions and violence against them to the appropriate authorities and their National Medical Associations.

   He gave this charge at the Annual Assembly of the Swedish Medical Association held in Stockholm, Sweden.

   Enabulele, urged physicians to ensure their welfare, wellbeing and working conditions are given top priority even as they carry out their responsibilities.

  He said “The lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic shows that unless and until the healthcare systems are strengthened, physicians may not be able to provide the best of care to patients.

  “So, it is incumbent on us to continuously charge governments all over the world to strengthen their health systems and provide enabling working conditions for physicians and other members of the health workforce.

  ‘Tied to that is what we have seen across the world, increasing cases of violence against physicians. We’ve seen across the world a tendency by physicians to get discouraged, to lose confidence in the system as a result of the disabling working conditions they find themselves, as a result of the violence against them either by patients or patients’ relatives.

 “I charge all of you to find space and time to go through the revised code, as it seeks to provide some solutions to some of the contending challenges that we all face in today’s world.

  “The code appropriately obligates physicians to report cases of violence and acts of abuse against them, and to report inappropriate working conditions they find themselves.”

  Meanwhile Enabulele few days ago handed over to Dr.Raj Muruga (President of the Malaysian Medical Association), as the new President of the Commonwealth Medical Association.

  In his handover speech, Dr. Enabulele, commended the Malaysian Medical Association for “spectacularly” hosting the CMA 26th Triennial Council meeting and Conference and urged members of the Association to step up their commitment to the CMA, advising physicians to continually dedicate themselves to the physician’s pledge and the revised International Code of Medical Ethics.

  In his acceptance speech, Muruga commended the leadership acumen of Enabulele and lauded him for the great work done in uplifting the CMA.