The Nigerian Medical Association, Akwa Ibom branch, on Tuesday called on the state House of Assembly to review the laws establishing the hospitals management board in the state.
Making the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo, the NMA state Chairman, Dr John Udobang, said the association was proposing law to make it statutory for a medical doctors to be appointed as chairman of the board.
“More than 90 per cent of staff members in the hospitals management board are health personnel, so it is advisable that the board chairman should be a medical doctor.
“In other areas like the Judiciary, the commission chairman is a professional, hence the hospitals management board should not be an exception,” Udobang argued.
“We need the right people in the right positions to promote health care delivery in the state.
“We are calling on the state House of Assembly and all Akwa Ibom people to support the state leadership of NMA in this lofty plan,” Udobang pleaded.
Udobang explained that the association had earlier rejected the composition of the present board led by non-medical doctors as chairman and permanent secretary, respectively.
“But we have also realised that there is no law stating expressly that a medical doctor be appointed the chairman, hence the need for the review of the laws setting up the place,” he said.
NAN recalls that the association had resolved on Jan. 3, to push for a review of the law establishing the board for harmony to be achieved in the health sector of the state as practised in most places in the world.
The resolution was taken few days after the state government re-constituted the board along aside other boards and appointed a non-medical doctor as a chairman.
The association also requested the state government to upgrade the board to a commission or agency status, to be headed by a medical doctor of 20 years post graduation working experience as executive chairman.
Udobang, however, commended Gov. Godswill Akpabio for reconstituting the board and other agencies and pledged the support of NMA to the smooth running of the state.
Udobang pledged to introduce ambulance medical services in the state where persons under emergency could call for and receive quick medical attention.
“What we have currently are vehicles for conveying corpses, not ambulance services in the real practice,” Udobang said.
He said that the association was planning to minimise quackery in the health care delivery system in the state.