The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has come out with a five years National Strategic Plan (NSP) that is to re-positioning the Nigerian Health System as a responsive health system that works.
The Tepic plan is developed to serve as a roadmap for the NMA at National and States level, from January 2017 through December 2021.
According to the document which was released to Tribune Online in Abuja on Tuesday, the plan is to further position the NMA to be worthy Partners to the Government at all levels in the development and growth of the Nigerian Health System.
The six thematic areas provided in the NSP include Institutional Strengthening of NMA; Strengthening Publicity and Communication for the NMA; Operationalisation of the National Health Act (NHAct), Clinical Governance, Medical Education and Research; Improving Health Care Delivery and Members Welfare and Intra/Inter Professional relationship.
The document said: “One of the key thematic areas of the newly developed NMA NSP seeks to establish the NMA as the go-to Thought Leader and a foremost health and related knowledge repository for the Nigerian Health System.
“The NMA is committed to the advancement of healthcare delivery and the welfare of Nigerians. The Association prioritizes the professional development and well-being of her members to influence their immediate Community’s healthcare delivery systems. The NMA also serves as a Professional Partner to individuals and Organizations in projects related to health concerns.
“The NMA’s 5-year NSP has prioritized 6 thematic areas that seek to re-position the NMA and her members as Leaders of the Medical Team, Thought Leaders and a significant repository of health and health-related expertise and knowledge base.
“The NSP also takes into cognizance strategic interventions to markedly improve inter-sectoral relationships within the health sector. Other strategic interventions outlined in the NSP will further position the NMA to be worthy Partners to the Government at all levels in the development and growth of the Nigerian Health System.”
It explained that the NMA has been actively participating in various dimensions of the improvement of health and health-related matters in Nigeria.
As the largest Association of its kind in Africa, it stated that the current leadership of NMA is determined to take up the challenge that has faced the NMA in recent times and actively exercise her leadership role in the Nigerian Health Sector.
The document added: “Through the years, the NMA has continuously been involved in many health- related activities of the Government at all levels (Federal, State and Local Government). However, the NMA is consulted formally by the Government only on an ad-hoc basis.
“Often-times, the NMA has to lobby and press hard to be formally involved in the Government-led health and related activities. In recent times, healthcare delivery in Nigeria has been greatly hampered by inter-sectoral wrangling that questions the leadership of the NMA which ought to be a Thought Leader in the Nigerian Health Sector.”
This, according to the NMA, is one of the driving forces behind the convening of a Committee of experts from within the different Specialties of the NMA’s membership to develop a five (5) years National Strategic Plan (NSP) that is to serve as a roadmap for the NMA at National and States level, from January 2017 through December 2021.
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