There is the need to have quality medical education as an all important pillar inorder to achieve Universal health coverage and this responsibility rests on Nigerian Ivory towers.
Senator Dayo Faduyile gave this challenge as the Guest Lecturer at the 9th memorial lecture in honour of late professor Felix Oladejo Dosekun at the college of medicine, University of Lagos.
Late professor Felix Oladejo Dosekun was the first Vice Dean of the University of Lagos, who also doubled as first Deputy provost of the college of medicine, University of Lagos. He went on to become the first Emeritus professor of the University of Lagos.
In his lecture on the topic: QUALITY EDUCATION AS A PILLAR FOR ACHIEVING UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE, Senator Faduyile affirmed that the ideal Doctor required for Universal health coverage of the nation must access quality health care, stressing the fact that inadequately trained health personnel on one hand and access to health coverage with less professional medics defeat the intent of Universal health coverage.
Professor Dayo Faduyile insisted that if health care professionals under the health coverage are not up to the set out tasks of the scheme, it will result in delayed diagnosis, prescription of wrong medication, enabling dangerous conditions, poor patient/Doctor communication, little or no appreciation of preventive care and little understanding of patients social circumstances, adding that beyond the need to pay attention to Universal Health coverage, quality medical education is a necessity for achieving the goal.
The Ondo South representative noted that there are competences that remain fundamental for a Doctor worth the calling, the modern physician, a scientist, a communicator, an advocate, a leader, an innovator and a lifelong learner. He noted that to foster Universal health coverage, health personnel must embrace the fact that they are professionals who are aware that medicine is not merely about treating disease, but more about improving human life.
Faduyile maintained that quality medical education is a tool for health equity, noting that improving it is not the responsibility of the medical school alone as it requires the quality inputs of government and policy makers.
The provost of the college of medicine, University of Lagos, who is also the chief Host of the event, Professor Ademola Oremosu recalled that the first Dosekun memorial lecture was held in 2001 and ever since, the academic convergence has been waxing stronger in the memory of the erudite scholar.
While corroborating the Guest Lecturer, Prof Oremosu said Universal health coverage is not just about building hospitals or buying equipment but about having competent, compassionate and confident health personnel who are well trained to handle what they see.
The lecture featured presentation of plaque to Senator Dayo Faduyile in recognition of his contribution to the medical profession while Dr Olayinka Obafemi Moses bagged the long service award of the college of medicine, University of Lagos.
The central message of Senator Faduyile’s lecture presentation centred on certain fundamental truths which cannot be ignored… That Quality medical education is the foundation of a functional health system, Universal health coverage must mean more than access to hospitals, Nigeria must invest in medical training institutions, and their facilities, the quality of medical education has implications for preventable deaths and public confidence and more importantly, Government policies on health insurance, primary health care, hospital infrastructure, and disease prevention need to be matched by investment in the education and professional development of the healthcare workforce. In other words, without adequately trained health personnel, Other health sector investments may fail to deliver the full benefits derivable from Universal health coverage for the nation.
