Unhealthy rivalry affecting quality service delivery in health sector – NMA

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has expressed concern over what it described as unnecessary acrimony and unhealthy rivalry among health professionals. The President of the association, Dr Francis Faduyile, stated this on the sideline of the ongoing 92nd National Conference of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigerian (PSN) holding on Thursday in Kaduna. He noted that the acrimony and unhealthy rivalry was slowing down the efficiency of service delivery in the sector. Faduyile was represented at the event by Dr Solomon Avidime, an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology with Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria. He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that NMA has begun an inter-professional dialogue to address the challenge. Faduyile explained that the move was to create the needed harmony among health professionals with a view to improving the quality of service delivery. According to him, a team-based approach to patient care is the norm in the 21st century and NMA is emphasising this with all seriousness. “NMA strongly believes that effective collaboration between doctors and pharmacists will ensure patient safety in terms of medication, treatment outcomes and of course job satisfaction. “The inter-professional committee of the NMA has engaged with that of PSN and the discussions are ongoing, robust and far-reaching. “We are confident that in the long run, both the doctors and the pharmacists will evolve strategies that will institute continuous collaboration for better patient care and improve the healthcare system. “While we are coping with the burden of poor patient healthcare ratio, it is extremely important that those of us in the Nigerian healthcare services work in harmony,’’ he said. The NMA president, therefore, called on individual members and all stakeholders to support the effort with a view to improving the quality of service delivery in the health sector. Faduyile expressed optimism that the outcome of the conference would ensure positive change that would engender professional prosperity and collaboration. The NMA boss also expressed worry about health workers' migration outside Nigeria due to poor welfare and poor working environment. According to him, the development is creating a human resource challenge in healthcare delivery that needs urgent action.