Hygeia Summit to Address Suicide Incidents in Nigeria

Ayodeji Ake

Following the rising incidents of mental health issues in Nigeria and across the globe, Hygeia, a Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) has said its 2019 high powered summit will focus on addressing the scourge in other to reduce suicide rates in the country.

Speaking during a press conference to share details on the proposed conference holding July 11 in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer, Hygeia HMO, Mr. Obinnia Abajue said suicide cases in the country was on the rise and has now become a concern, which therefore prompted conversations on tackling it.

He said: “We will be bringing together under one roof health players who will brainstorm on how healthcare value chain can work effectively and we will as well draft policies that will enhance the health sector.

“In 2017 we began with the idea of having a conference to bring all the stakeholders together, reminding them of their roles in the health sector. Nigeria is the most populous black nation in the world and if we look at healthcare today, we will discover that the number of people who will not have access to healthcare will grow.

“Our healthcare conference is designed to bring issues to the fore and ensure Nigerians get access to quality healthcare. Alongside, we will have conversations with different stakeholders on how we can improve on healthcare services.

“It will include people that are involved in the value chain because the essence of this is to ensure the entire system works for good. What we are bring to the fore is how Nigerians can get affordable and access to quality healthcare. We are focusing on mental health and why the HMOs needs to work.”

He emphasised that the most sustainable way to ensure people have access to healthcare was through HMOs.

“We are proud to be the first people that will be coming out to organise something like this. We saw the need to bring together stakeholders and speak out on ways forward as regard health in Nigeria. I believe that if we engage in discussions, it will help us draft out working policies,” he said.