The Abia chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has expressed its readiness to partner with the state government to provide quality healthcare delivery in the area.
Dr Chimezie Okwuonu, the state Chairman of the association, said this at a news conference in Umuahia on Wednesday.
Okwuonu said that the association was determined to advance quality healthcare services in the state through effective collaboration with the state government.
According to him, NMA is driven by its vision to foster effective and efficient healthcare delivery to the public as well as promote high ethical standard among its members.
“The association is willing to collaborate with government agencies that engage in programmes and policies geared towards delivery of standard, quality and non-compromising healthcare services.
“NMA will continue to work assiduously to ensure that quality healthcare service is delivered to the good people of Abia,” Okwuonu said.
He appealed to the state government to provide the enabling environment for health workers by ensuring uninterrupted supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to them.
He also called for the urgent payment of salary arrears to medical doctors at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) and Hospitals Management Board (HMB) to motivate them.
He said that the “perennial renumeration challenges” in ABSUTH and HMB had caused untold hardship to the doctors and called for urgent government’s intervention.
Okwuonu also charged the government to equip and rehabilitate the general hospitals in the state to make them viable.
He said that COVID-19 pandemic had placed extra pressure on health workers, hence the need for government’s intervention to motivate them.
“We employ the state government to provide more PPEs, more infrastructure that will meet the current demand of managing COVID-19 cases and payment of COVID-19 hazard allowance,” Okwuonu said.
He expressed delight over the robust relationship that existed between NMA and government, especially in the execution of its various programmes in tackling COVID-19 in Abia.
He lauded government’s decision to honor some NMA’s members in the frontline of the fight against COVID-19 during the 29th anniversary of the state’s creation.
He said the initiative would serve as a moral booster for other health workers in the state.
Okwuonu further said that the new NMA executive under his watch would work tirelessly to pursue the welfare of its members and promote policies and programmes designed to improve the health sector.
