The FCT Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association has tasked its members on unity in order to achieve the objectives of the association.
At a news conference Friday in Abuja, the outgoing Chairman of the chapter, Dr Charles Ugwuanyi, said his administration, which began on August 5, 2022 had been able to keep the association together.
Ugwuanyi encouraged the incoming Ecco members not to condole any divisive tendency capable of causing disunity among members, adding that we could only achieve more of our aspirations when we stay together.
He called on incoming executive to encourage mutual respect among members, adding that NMA-FCT is a microcosm of Nigeria political space, saying, as doctors, they must live by example, irrespective of religion or ethnicity.
He said all doctors must conformed and align with the code of conduct and ethics as obtained in a civilize egalitarian society, as well as make all the sacrifices and attain the mental maturity.
He said: “In the past two years, we came to office exactly Aug. 5, 2022, exactly two years now with few days, we came with high hopes to achieve our desire, we have made some achievement based on our campaign manifestos.
“There are also some point of our manifestos that we are unable to achieve, but as you are aware, governance is a continuos programme. We are hoping that the people we are handing over to will continue from where we stop.
“The high point of our achievement is that we have been able to keep the association together, as you are aware, Abuja is cosmopolitans city, Abuja is a project Nigeria city. All part of the country is represented in our association here.
“It is important that NMA FCT maintain that tradition of giving every part of Nigeria equal opportunities, in my administration that is about to end, we have been able to carry everybody along across device, religious, ethnic, politics and others.
“The biggest achievement is that we inherited our association intact and we are handing over it intact.”
He said his administration promised
to increase public awareness to socially reengineer NMA-FCT and had been able to achieved that, adding that his administration was able to achieved a lot in terms of welfare support for members, part of it is the acquisition of land from the FCT administration.
He said some of the reasons the association is losing many doctors is because of poor condition of service, in terms of remunerations, even as he said the NMA-FCT had also played its role in the national NMA politics, part of which was the hosting of the 2023 National Executive Council Meeting in the FCT, “which made NMA-FCT to take prime position in the national politics.”
Ugwuanyi said NMA-FCT had engaged the national NMA to engage the relevant agency of the Federal Government to cause an increment in salary no matter what, adding that the inauguration of a campaign across FCT about violence against medical workers also created many benefit for the association and has made violence to stop against medical workers.
He said that the NMA-FCT secretariat had been reposition to a very accessible site, adding that members had difficulties in accessing that before now, calling on government to improve on the working environment of medical workers, and stop continuous dwindling of the workforce of doctors and nurses.
He called on the incoming executive to strive to achieved some of the lofty ambitions his administration plan to achieved for the progress of the association, adding that a file which will direct them will be handed over to them.
Ugwuanyi also called for partners, sponsors to assist the association, saying some of the funds used in running the association usually comes from members, even as he said the new council of the NMA had made some substantial progress with the Federal Ministry of Health, on the issue of one on one replacement of health workers.
He said that the head of Federal medical hospital, and other government hospitals are working together, along with the presidency, I’m collaboration with wages and salaries for this to be achieved.
