Disney Nwanne Foundation has called on government at all levels to give priority to the training and retraining of the healthcare workforce, saying the measure would nip in the bud incompetence practices within the sector.
Speaking yesterday during the 6th annual Disney symposium at the Durummi 1 Central Mosque, Garki district, Abuja, the convener of the Advocacy Group, Deacon Martins Nwanne said that when health care workers welfare were prioritized by the government, the involved workers would have a sense of worth.
Deacon Nwanne who also advised the public to report incidents of professional medical misconducts to the authorities without emotional attachments stressed that health care workers need extra care and deep rooted knowledge of medicine before practicing, to avoid their giving a patient injections, when the patient needs tablets.
” We are calling on the government at the federal,states and local government levels to commence immediate training and retraining of the healthcare workforce. The government must give priority to the welfare of health care workers because they manage life which is irreplaceable. The practice of going from one negotian table to another and agreeing and later reneging on such agreements by the government must come to an end.
” When health care workers welfare is prioritized, it gives them a sense of worth. The job of saving lives is the most job in the world. They must be afraid to lose something. All diligent caregivers must be respected.
” We must report incidents of professional medical misconducts,no matter matter the emotions attached. In a situation where a patient is supposed to be administered tablets but rather given injections like in the case of Disney is most unlikely an act of God but incompetence. And it must be treated as one by the Institutions involved “, he said.
Earlier in her speech, Bridget Etim, from the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) reminded the participants to be mindful of Patients Bill of Rights, declaring that among others patients have the right to transparent medical bills, right to medicare before bill payment, right to urgent medical support, respect to human dignity.
She further charged the participants to report any medical infringement on their rights as highlighted earlier to any government authorities, maintaining that one way to limit the excesses of medicare givers was to express dissatisfaction at services offered at hospitals by the patients.
In his remarks,Abba Muhtar, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation who thanked the convener for his efforts in maintaining the yearly medical outreach in honour of the late daughter, Disney Nwanne who lost her life 6 years ago to medical misconduct called on nigerians to emulate the legacy of the Nwanne family.
” I’m happy to associate myself with Disney Nwanne. And I’m proud of his works. Together,as you can see we are breaking borders and barriers in terms of ethnicity and religion. This is how we should be behaving in the society. I’m from the north and he is from the east. And we have known for over 30 years. When I was turbaned the Sa’in of Katsina, he travelled with me. We are a family. May God continue to bless him with the resources and energy in carrying out this medical outreach every year. And I hope, from the bottom of my heart that lives will be saved , following lessons from the symposium as triggered by the tragic loss of the daughter’s life”, he said.
The Advocacy Group was set up with a view to upholding the patients rights and improved relationship between the patients and caregivers as well as push for the general reform for the health care system.
