NMA seeks passage of health bill, truth commission

FOR his contributions to the health sector, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called for the speedy passage of the National Health Bill by the National Assembly and presidential assent as a way of immortalising Senator Gyang Dalyop Dantong.The association also urged the Federal Government to institute a national truth reconciliation commission to engender genuine peace in the country.President Goodluck Jonathan recently returned the National Health Bill to the National Assembly for amendment to accommodate the grievances of some stakeholders, who kicked against certain provisions in the proposed law.Dantong, who was the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, died during an attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Sunday, July 8, 2012 at the burial of members of his community who were killed in similar attacks.NMA President, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, in a statement yesterday, eulogised Dantong for playing key roles in the passage of the bill by the sixth National Assembly, universal health coverage and the eradication of polio in Nigeria.He also paid tribute to the late lawmaker for his passion for peace and unity among the diverse communities in Plateau State.To sustain the legacies of Dantong, the NMA called for the passage of the health bill in its original form as earlier presented to Jonathan for his assent.On account of Dantong's quest for lasting peace on the Plateau at the risk to his life, the NMA asked the state House of Assembly and the Jonah Jang administration to rename the Plateau State Specialist Hospital after him.While calling for sober reflection on the recurrent crisis in the state and the entire country, the association urged the Federal Government to set up a genuine and transparent National Truth and Reconciliation Commission to enable Nigerians expressed their misgivings.Meanwhile, medical personnel under the aegis of the Association of Pathologists of Nigeria (ASSOPN) have expressed their resolve to sanitise laboratory services in the country.At the opening of 12th ASSOPN conference in Abuja yesterday, its President, Dr. Kenneth Iregbu, pledged to tackle the declining quality of laboratory standards in Nigeria through accreditation by the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa (WHO-AFRO).Chairman of PathCare, Prof. Ibironke Akinsete, urged pathologists to continue to lead the way to ensure that the WHO-AFRO accreditation scheme is speedily implemented in Nigeria.Akinsete, who delivered a paper on 'Repositioning clinical laboratories for effective and efficient health care delivery,' said that if there were sufficient standard laboratories in Nigeria, its health indices would significantly improve.
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