By Gami Tadanyigbe

The Chief Medical Director (CMD), University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) Prof. Bissallah Ekele, said the Hospital has employed both long and short term planning strategies in doing its best to promote the activities of the teaching hospital for the development of health sector in the country.

Prof. Ekele made the call in an interview with newsmen on Thursday, at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Annual General Meeting of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) at the Teaching Hospital in Gwagwalada.

The Teaching Hospitals Information Unit reports that the theme for the AGM is “Sustaining Medical Practice in a Distressed Economy: The Role of MDCAN.”

The AGM also had its sub themes as “Mentorship in medical practice, bringing the gap” and “Security challenges and their impact on health indices in Nigeria”.

According to the CMD, the management of UATH critically evaluates every situation before taking any decision.

He said that the management employed both short and long term plans as strategies to address some of the challenges at the hospital over the past six years.

However, Prof. Ekele advised the undergraduates in the profesion to concentrate on their primary assignment of learning to enable them develop in the sector.

Besides, the CMD maintained that they should be available to observe procedures being carried out in the teaching hospital, and participate in the various activities carried out by each department.

Prof. Ekele also called on the post-graduate students to dedicate enough time for research and embrace team work.

Dr Grace Otokpa, Chairman, MDCAN, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Branch (MDCAN-UATH), on her part tasked Nigerians on personal hygiene saying it is the key to preventing many dental challenges.

Dr Otokpa said that to prevent dental issues specifically “Carrises”, personal hygiene was key saying it was the number one medicine to prevent any teeth challenges.

However, said that Nigerians must imbibe the character of regular check-up of their teeth, adding that the check-up must be undertaken like any other medical check-ups.

The Chairman said that dentist had advised that people should visit their dentist every six months to guide against carrises, also known as tooth decay or dental cavities.

“Sometimes people think that this carrises, that is hole in the teeth and others, are just official; carrises go beyond just that.

“When people have this oral conditions like delta carrises and some other conditions in the mouth, they can actually predispose someone to more sinister conditions like romantic fibular, heart diseases and others.

“So it is important that people had regular check of their teeth for personal hygiene, check their teeth, check the right way to brush the teeth,” she said.

On medical outreach, Otokpa said the dental profession in the country has been doing well, adding that NGOs had been doing well to offer free medical care in this direction especially on cleft palate.

Prof. Innocent Ujah, the Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo (FUHSO), Benue State, who was the keynote speaker at the event discouraged young doctors from seeks jobs abroad, saying there was nothing so special about it.

He spoke on the theme “Sustaining medical practice in a distressed economy: The role of MDCAN.

Prof. Ujah, however, advised Nigeria’s government to work towards transforming the country’s economy to discourage health workers who seek jobs abroad.

The Vice-Chancellor, who was a former National Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), urged government at all levels to properly equip their health facilities to discourage medical tourism.

“There should be improved and sustained primary health care for every citizen; there should be further investment on health, political office holders should have political will to develop health sector in tandem with international best practice.

“On the role of MDCAN, there should be regular review of activities of hospitals including Residency Training Programme (RTP) and mentorship. Attitude of healthcare practitioners must be friendly.

“Medical consultants must up their game, provide right leadership/stewardship,” Ujah said.