By Chioma Umeha
Doctors and pharmacists in the country under the
aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the Pharmaceutical Society
of Nigeria (PSN) respectively, have reaffirmed their commitment to bury their
differences to usher a new dawn in healthcare where the interest of patients
will be paramount.
The goal according to them is to boost the
country’s healthcare delivery system by offering quality and effective
healthcare services to patients
through a harmonious relationship and teamwork.
To this effect, the leadership of the two
professional bodies, said it had set up some committees on inter- professional
collaboration to ensure the implementation of the decision among healthcare
professionals.
The committees will ensure a smooth working
relationship among all the various professional groups in the health sector,
including nurses, laboratory scientists, among others.
Disclosing this during an interactive session in
Lagos recently, Dr. Mike Ogirima, President of NMA and Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai,
his PSN’s counterpart, said the essence of the committees, was to instill
collaboration, communication, cooperation and teamwork in the health sector in
the interest of patients.
Ogirima explained during the interactive session:
“ We are here to tell the whole world that the pharmacists and doctors are one.
We all receive the same lecture in pharmacology and the way the world is going,
we should not have a dichotomy.”
According to him, “The welfare of the patient is
our uppermost concern”, adding that they have resolved to work together as a
team like their counterparts in the Diaspora.
It would be recalled that over the years, the
Nigerian health sector had witnessed unhealthy rivalries, including battle for
supremacy among the various professional groups in the sector. Now, the groups
are embracing better relationships to put an end to any rifts among them.
The NMA President stated that the interactive session
was a follow-up to the symposium on inter professional collaboration organised
in Lagos, recently by the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPharm), in
collaboration with PSN.
In his remarks, the PSN president said: “In
abroad, doctors and pharmacists work in harmony. They organise and share
conferences together. We will be happy to have such a relationship here.”
Yakasai also said: “Whatever we are doing, the
centre should be the patient. And for the patient to enjoy quality healthcare
delivery there must be team work and mutual respect for one another.”
He explained that the committee on inter
professional collaboration is headed by the Publisher of PharmaNews and Vice
President of NAP, Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi.
Yakasai, president, PSN, expressed his happiness
with the interactive session saying it is a further proof that the cordial
relationship among healthcare professionals that the doctors and pharmacists
saw in Las Vegas, USA, last year, can be replicated in the country.
He commended the NMA president for his commitment
to enhancing the spirit of teamwork among healthcare professionals, noting that
the NMA boss since his assumption of office has consistently demonstrated his
dedication to ensuring there is mutual respect for all members of the health
team making invaluable contributions to healthcare delivery in the country.
Pharm. Yakasai stated further that the
inter-professional committee from both PSN and NMA will collaborate to further
deepen the cordial relationship now existing between the two professionals in
the country.
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