The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, has urged radiologists to identify challenges impeding data security to address cases of litigations from patients against its members.
Speaking Monday in Abuja, during the 6th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Scientific Conference of Association of Radiologists in Nigeria (ARIN) and 60th AGM of Association of Radiologists in West Africa (ARAWA), Pate, who was represented by his special assistant, Dr Jimoh-Olawale Salaudeen, noted other challenges like manpower deficit, poorly regulated radiology practice in the country and inadequate technology innovation.
He said: “You are all witnesses to the increasing litigations in our practice arising from patients’ awareness of their rights and privileges.
“Leakages of patients’ information must be guarded against seriously with every sense of responsibility and deploy appropriate and efficient technology to prevent miscreants from invading the system.
“The place of right diagnosis which radiology practice largely represents in the management of any disease condition must be appreciate.”
Pate revealed that government is working to produce middle men to bridge the gap of manpower deficit, adding that this must be done in order not to snowball into promotion of substandard.
He said the ministry is committed to continue collaboration with ARIN, but charged the association to come up with implementable solutions to all the challenges.
The National President of ARIN, Prof. Sule Saidu, also called on the Federal Government and other stakeholders to increase commitment to the improvement of service delivery, training and research in healthcare with a view to ensuring global best practices.
He said that government’s commitment to improvement of the health sector would certainly help to curtail health tourism abroad to thus conserving the much- needed foreign exchange and hopefully help to reverse the trend.
Prof Sule called on government at various level to pay more attention to the provision of more diagnostic equipment for the practice of radiologist, adding that it is only when diagnosis is correct that proper treatment can be assured.
He said that with more attention from the government to the health sector, brain drain would be reduced, adding that lack of state-of-the-art facilities were part of the issues causing health workers migration.
Also speaking, the Chairman ARIN FCT/Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the event, Dr Agaja James, stated that medical practitioners in Africa are reducing in numbers day by day because of the advancement in technology and economic problem ravaging the world.
He said that majority of medical practitioners have migrated from rural areas to cities in the Sub-Sahara region and that many had also gone beyond the shore of Africa.
James called on the government to find a lasting solution to the trend and safe the health sector for imminent downfall.
