Disease Outbreaks: To Combat Them, Nigerians Must Have A Robust Health System
Professor Musa Dankyau, the President of the Society of Family Physicians of Nigeria (SOFPON), has asked for Nigerians to advocate for a more robust national health system to respond effectively to deadly disease outbreaks within Nigeria.
He made notice that the association has decided to embrace the use of telemedicine in order to efficiently and adequately tackle the scourge of diseases amongst families in Nigeria.
On Thursday, Professor Dankyau disclosed this information at a press briefing event in Jos in commemoration of the 2022 World Family Doctor Day with the theme, “Family Doctors: always there to care.”
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“Family Doctors are unique in their ability to provide first contact, comprehensive, coordinated and continuing care for individuals within the context of their families and communities. This form of health care delivery is especially critical in our world suffering the health, human, economic and social crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and endemic diseases such as Lassa fever.
“We continuously care from cradle to grave through our first contact practice and coordination with other specialists and health professionals. This creates a special challenge for Family Doctors to adopt and constantly refine new strategies and technologies including telemedicine which will enable us to always be there.”
According to Professor Dankyau, Family Doctors are working on the frontline of disease outbreaks and insecure locations in Nigeria where they face life-threatening risks.
“We must, therefore, be advocates of good governance as a basis for providing solutions to insecurity, and health governance as a bedrock of a robust health system which can respond effectively to disease outbreak.”
