Medicine Academy Condemns Policymakers’ Rejection of Recommendations

The Academy of Medicine Specialties of Nigeria has frowned against the reluctance of policymakers to accept and implement recommendations made by academic sources. 

This stance was made known by Professor Akin Osibogun of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, who was the Guest Lecturer at the 2023 Annual General Meeting & third induction ceremony of the Academy.

According to him, the academy was known for promoting the sharing of cutting-edge knowledge to advance different aspects of man’s existence. 

“My only concern is the seeming reluctance of policy-makers to accept recommendations from academic sources for effective implementation. Globally, academies such as ours are known to promote the sharing of cutting-edge knowledge to advance different aspects of man’s existence and living conditions,” he said.

Osibogun in his lecture titled, ‘Mainstreaming of health in all sectors for achieving Universal Health Coverage,’ said more investments in health would bring massive development to the nation.

Read Also: Concerns Over HPV Vaccine Roll Out In Nigeria

“The more out-of-pocket expenditure plays a dominant role in a country’s health financing mechanism, the poorer its health outcomes. Countries with poor health outcomes are also those that are underdeveloped,” he added.

President of the Academy, Professor Oladapo Ashiru, explained that the Academy of Medicine Specialties of Nigeria had been actively addressing various health and social issues. 

He added, “We drafted a comprehensive position paper opposing the proposed bill aimed at restricting the travel of medical and dental graduates. This bill sought to enforce a mandatory five-year service commitment within Nigeria before granting full licenses for practice.”

Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, who was represented by the Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, said, “I am delighted to be here today, to participate in this induction ceremony that recognises some of the best brains in our country. We need your charge to use your intellect to work for our country’s development and to make sure that your impact is felt by the people of the country. We look forward to working with you with new creative mechanisms within the Education sector.” 

Minister of Science and Technology, Mr. Uche Nnaji, who was represented by the Director General/Chief Executive, Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency, Martins Emeje, said, “Innovation has the potential to revolutionise our healthcare landscape.”