ByAUSTIN OWOICHO, Abuja
Healthcare practitioners in Nigeria have affirmed that across the world, core emphasis is now placed on the patient as the central and most important consideration in healthcare delivery.
They expressed this at a Symposium on Interprofessional Collaboration organized by the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy in partnership with Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria in the Healthcare Industry , held at the University of Lagos on May 11, 2017.
This was contained in a Communique issued at the close of the Symposium, jointly signed by General Secretary, Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy, Prof. Fola Tayo; President, Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN), Dr. Omede Idris; President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai; National President, Healthcare Providers’ Association Of Nigeria (HCPAN), Dr Umar Sanda; Deputy National President, HCPAN, Dr Adeyeye Arigbabuwo; Chief Nursing Officer, LASUTH, Cecilia Ogundeko and Secretary, Inter-professional Relations Committee, Pharm. Gafar Madehin.
According to the communiqué, participants agreed to join hands to help create a new culture among different health professionals that puts the health needs of the patient above any other need or consideration.
“Participants at the Symposium were drawn from the health professions including Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Sciences and other professions, via accredited representatives of the respective professional associations or societies. Keynote Address was delivered by Prof. Eyitayo Lambo, former Minister of Health.
“Participants agreed that it is only when healthcare professionals collaborate that Nigerians can truly optimize the benefits of the healthcare industry in all facets of healthcare delivery
“Participants agreed that purposeful collaboration would entail all health professionals embracing a culture of teamwork that is founded on trust, mutual respect and most importantly, the overall needs of the patient,” it stated.
It further explained that the participants resolved to take the message of teamwork and collaboration to broader sections of the various health professions and help inspire the emergence of a new culture of collaboration in Nigeria’s healthcare industry.
