Lagos Govt Partners NMA for Improved Doctors’ Welfare

The Lagos State Primary Health Care Board has collaborated with the state chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association in ensuring the welfare and career progression of doctors in the primary health care centers in the state.

The spokesperson for the LSPHCB, Filade Olumide, confirmed the development when the Chairman, NMA Lagos, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, and his team paid a courtesy visit the agency’s head office.

Filade, in a statement, also said the welfare and career of doctors were paramount to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s agenda for the state.

He said, “Lagos State Primary Health Care Board’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Ibrahim Mustafa, has said the LSPHCB will work closely with the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association in ensuring the welfare and career progression of doctors in Lagos State Primary Health Care Centers across the state.

“He stated this at the LSPHCB headquarter, Yaba, when the Chairman of NMA Lagos, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu and his team paid a courtesy visit. The visit was to work out areas of collaboration between the agency and NMA Lagos in ensuring the success of the second pillar of the administration of the Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES agenda for the state which is health and environment.

“Dr. Mustafa further stated that Primary Health Care Centers are the bedrock of health of any society as their functions is primarily preventive. If the PHCs faulters, then the secondary and tertiary health institutions would faulter, as human and material resources would be inadequate to cater to an avalanche of unhealthy citizenry.”

Mustafa said plans were afoot to ensure clear-cut career part with the assistance of the Ministry of Establishment, Training and Pensions for Medical Officer Health at the various PHCs.

In his remark, the NMA Chairman, Dr. Olowojebutu, said the association was mapping out strategy for inclusive engagement, adding that the primary health centres were important focus in health management.

He noted that to achieve universal coverage, adequate funding by the various arms of government must come into play.