The Nigerian Medical Association (NBA), Borno chapter, has called for the full implementation of the Medical Residency Training Act to address numerous challenges in the state health sector.
The state NMA President, Ali Mohammad-Ramat, on Tuesday in Maiduguri, disclosed this at the 2020 Annual Physician’s Week.
The Medical Training Act is directed at assuring the quality and competence of Medical practice and practitioners in Nigeria through Statutory Medical Training Programmes.
It is to encourage Medical Tourism from other countries to Nigeria and build further confidence in Nigeria Medical System.
Mohammad-Ramat said that the call was imperative to address the challenges bedevilling the health sector especially in getting skilled manpower in the state.
The physician week is an annual week-long event of the NMA to celebrate medical personnel’s contribution to effective healthcare services delivery and research in the country.
The theme for the 2020 physician week is “Strategies for Health System Recovery During COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria”.
He said that COVID-19 pandemic has caused social and economic dislocation of families, communities, state and countries.
“The implementation of the medical residency training in the state teaching hospital will go along way in mitigating the impact posed by these challenges,” Mohammad-Ramat.
Also speaking, Dr Joseph Jatau, a former Chief Medical Director of Borno State Hospital Management Board, said that the residency training when fully implemented in the state would produce specialist in various fields.
He added that this would also alleviate the challenges in the provision of modern healthcare services to the people.
Jatau explained that the residency training would reduce the resources used by the state government in sponsoring doctors on specialised fields abroad.
“The residency training will also open room for research activities, especially in collaboration with the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, where postgraduate students will be trooping into the institution for knowledge-oriented programmes.
Jatau lauded Gov. Babagana Zulum for constituting a high powered Committee to develop a blue print for the establishment of a State University Teaching Hospital.
He said this would go a long way towards providing effective, qualitative and affordable healthcare to residents.
