Delta State Family Doctors on Thursday joined their colleagues across the globe to celebrate 2022 World Family Doctors Day with the theme ‘Family Doctors Always There to Care’ held at Eku Baptist Government Hospital (EBGH) Eku, Ethiope east local government area of Delta state.
The event was jointly organised by the State’s Chapters of the Society of Family Physicians of Nigeria (SOFPON) and Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP).
In the event which had Chief Medical Director of EBGH, Dr. Henrietta Etaoghene in attendance, president of SOFPON, Professor Musa Dankyau, told doctors who are frontline health practitioners in the fight against outbreak of diseases to adopt and constantly refine new strategies and technologies which will enable them to always be available for patients at all times.
Professor Dankyau also emphasized that family doctors must provide quality care for themselves to avoid burn out occasioned with the stress that accompanies the task of health care delivery for Nigerians.
The SOFPON president who was represented by Dr. Dele Ogunfowokan, the Delta state chairman of the family doctors said: “Family Doctors are there, wherever and whenever the need arises.
“We are at the front-line, delivering service in a variety of health institutions from one-man practice to large tertiary hospitals. This also comes with significant risks for SOFPON members working at the frontline of disease outbreaks and insecure locations throughout Nigeria.”
Amidst the risk involved in dealing with variety of health challenges, Professor Dankyau said doctors have the great responsibility of providing quality health care to Nigerians accompanied by all the positive values.
He described family doctors as unique professionals in their ability to provide first contact, comprehensive, coordinated and continuing care for individuals, within the context of their families and communities.
He said this form of health care delivery is especially critical in a world suffering the health, human, economic and social crises occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and endemic diseases such as Lassa fever.
Hence, he called on family doctors to be advocates for good governance as a basis for providing solutions to insecurity and health governance as a bedrock for a robust health system which can respond effectively to disease outbreaks in Nigeria.
Chairman of the event, Professor Eze Nwangwa, a family physician, said there are lots of challenges in the Nigeria health system because family doctors are not taking their position in reshaping the health system in the country. He noted that Nigeria is ranked among topmost countries with the worse health indices of the world.
He challenged the family doctors that no matter the situation, they should change the pattern of health care delivery in Nigeria. He added that patients have a wide range of information at their disposal, hence family doctors should update their medical knowledge so as to be able to respond to demands of patients.
In a lecture on the theme of the year’s celebration, Dr. Duncan Umukoro from Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara said family doctors attend to all health issues that happen within the family setting, saying they are always there for both specific and general health needs of families.
He added that family physicians make life better at all times, just as he advised medical doctors to also take care of themselves and have doctors they also attach themselves to for care.
Dr. Lucky Oyeye, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist, who delivered lecture on Role of Primary Health in Management of Postpartum Hemorrhage, advised doctors to ensure that their primary healthcare institutions are working and lives are saved.
He warned against the saying among religious people “not my portion” which in the long run could lead to untimely death just as he also advised doctors to make referrals to hospitals where they know patient’s cases can be well managed.
Vice chairman of Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP), Dr. Chika-Ike Nnamdi Moses, said family doctors provide care throughout life, from cradle to the grave.
He said in the provision of care for families, doctors should adopt changes in the treatment of patients as demands arise. He said doctors provide counseling to patients, adding that the care goes beyond treating diseases, it also involves providing psychosomatic care.
In a pre-conference address at the office of the Chief Medical Director of Eku Baptist Government Hospital, the state SOFPON chairman Dr. Dele Ogunfowokan commended the CMD, Dr. Henrietta Etaoghene, and other principal staff for supporting the conference and providing needed facilities at the hospital.
Highpoint of the world family doctors day with the theme: Family Doctors; Always There to Care, was the cutting of the family cake jointly by the executives and members of SOFPON and ANPMP with the senior staff of Eku Baptist Government Hospital.
