Date Published: 03/31/10

Minister of Health Appointment: NMA Self-Serving Statement By Prof. Edward Oparaoji

A recently reported statement credited to the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), regarding the criteria for the incoming Minister of health, if correct, is unfortunate, uninformed, ignorant and self serving.  An excerpt of the published statement states that "… the most appropriate health professional to lead the Federal Ministry of Health is a patriotic medical practitioner with integrity, sound administrative acumen, rich clinical experience and untainted record of service. It is only such a medical practitioner that is imbued with all the knowledge required to head the health team”. 

The NMA could have done us a favor by providing empirical evidence substantiating this claim, otherwise this statement is so old thinking, not helpful and may be considered an underhanded pre-emptive attack against Prof. Dora Akunyili. In the USA whose political system we adopted, Health Ministers/Secretaries are not required to be medical doctors. The recent United States Health Ministers/Secretaries, namely Donna Shalala (Bill Clinton’s administration), Tommy Thompson (GW Bush’s administrations) and Kathleen Sebelius (Barack Obama’s administration) are neither medical doctors nor healthcare practitioners. They were never disparaged by the American Medical Association or other healthcare trade associations either. They performed very well which is what matters, and had enduring accomplishments: Children Health Insurance Program (Donna Shalala), Medicare Reform and HIV/AIDS initiatives (Tommy Thompson), Healthcare Reform (Kathleen Sebelius). This is more than one can say for Nigeria’s recent health ministers, most of whom were medical doctors.

Contrary to NMAs omnipotent assertion, no one profession is “imbued with all the knowledge.” Developed economies have embraced a multi-disciplinary team approach to patient/health care delivery, to maximize patients’ outcomes.  

Patient Care/Healthcare delivery is getting more complex and sophisticated - medicine is transitioning from population medicine to personalized/null medicine.  This reality must be embraced by NMA, or risk becoming irrelevant. 

While I have no confidence in our current political dynamics and who it decides to appoint to what, I want to make it clear that one criterion we do not need in a ministerial appointee, let alone the health ministry, is “a know-it-all”.  With the exception of the Attorney General’s position (the nations lawyer), where professional qualification is required in addition, the essential criteria for all ministerial positions should be; a solid academic accomplishment, experience,  commitment, courage, and a track record of innovation and accountability. 

The NMA is an age-old organization of noble medical professionals, with enormous potentials to reshape and rebuild our healthcare system and hold our elected officials who fly out abroad for every minor ailment accountable. The NMA appears to be missing in action or afflicted with aphonia, except when advocating for her narrow selfish interests, such as fighting for their remuneration or against other healthcare professionals for turf, status or matters of personal interests.  NMA must advocate for the NIGERIAN patients.

As one from a family of mostly healthcare practitioners, comprising Physicians, Nurses, Pharmacists and healthcare scientists, I can vouch that Nigeria has in her midst, the smartest doctors anywhere in the world. They deserve better than the sub-standard and simplistic representation offered by the current NMA leadership. Mediocrity and intellectual malaise afflicting Nigeria’ null leadership must not be allowed to settle in the NMA.

Prof. Edward Oparaoji, PharmD

USA-Based Cardio Renal Specialist