Champion Preventive Medicine Advocacy; Bello Urges NMA
The Minister made this call while receiving a delegation from the Nigerian Medical Association led by its National President, Professor Mike Ogirima that paid him a visit in his office at Area 11, Garki I district, Abuja.
The Minister reiterated that some of the common diseases across the country could simply be preventable by maintaining a clean and healthy environment.
Malam Bello said that it was this and other reasons that made the FCT Administration to introduce the Household and Community Sanitation Exercise, which was launched at the headquarters of all the six Area Councils of the FCT to enable the people at the Satellite Towns and rural areas to key in.
His words: “I therefore wish to call on the NMA to emphasize the issue of environmental sanitation during their outreach services.”
According to him, “If you make it a focal point of your Administration to handle environmental and traffic issues, I think you will find out that a lot of the patients you see in the hospitals will drastically reduce”.
“The FCTA spends enormous amount of money in cleaning the Area Councils and the Satellite Towns, even though some of these responsibilities fall under the purview of the Area Councils,” he added.
The Minister also enjoined the NMA to continue to support the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the FCT Administration to enable the government carryout policies that will positively impact on the citizenry.
Malam Bello stressed, “If along the line your expectations are not met fully, you have to understand that the country is going through some kind of reinvention by trying to do things the right way.”
He assured that the FCT Administration would give special consideration to any proposal seeking to establish a World Class Medical Centre that will boost medical education and services in the Federal Capital Territory.
The Minister used the opportunity to thank all members of the NMA across the FCT, both at the primary and tertiary levels; saying, the cordial relationship between them and the FCTA has helped to serve the residents better thereby saving a lot of lives.
Malam Bello encouraged the NMA to continue to emphasize on service to humanity; adding, “this is what is there in your code of conduct, we really depend on you to be able to do that”.
Speaking earlier, the National President, Nigerian Medical Association, Professor Mike Ogirima commended the FCT Minister for the relentless manner he is pursuing infrastructural development in the FCT; emphasizing, “having gone round Abuja, there are so many projects going on, particularly roads. I must commend you for that”.
The NMA President however called on the FCT Administration to increase the number of bed spaces in FCT Hospitals and employ more health workers like Medical Doctors, Nurses, Medical Lab Scientists and Pharmacists to handle additional responsibilities due to the ever influx of people into the Territory.
Signed
Muhammad Hazat Sule, FCAI
Deputy Director / Chief Press Secretary,
Tuesday, February 21, 2017.
