Uzodimma to Doctors: Consider National Interest, Patriotism, above Migration

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has appealed to medical doctors in Nigeria to consider national interest and patriotism above the desire to migrate overseas in search of green pastures.
The Governor told a gathering of doctors under the auspices of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) holding their National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Owerri, the Imo State capital, yesterday, that God created them for the purpose of saving lives and appealed to them not to gloss over that important role God assigned to them.

The theme of the conference titled, “Healthcare System in A Depressed Economy,” was delivered by Dr. Anthony Mba, Consultant Physician/Pharmacologist, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.
According to a statement, the Governor in his remarks told the NMA leadership to consider national interest and patriotism to discourage their members from moving outside the country to practice, but rather remain in the country to help save Nigerian citizens who wholly depend on them for healthcare and survival.
 Speaking as the Special Guest of Honour, the governor appealed to the doctors to also consider the current economic situation of the country and partner with the federal and state governments to improve the existing healthcare system instead of abandoning the country for other countries, noting that, “the only country we can proudly call our own is Nigeria.”

The governor congratulated the doctors for their choice of Imo State for their meeting and thanked the leadership for the medical outreach they carried out in Nkwerre area of the State.

Uzodimma, reminded the doctors that by going to Imo for their meeting, they have seen things for themselves, including the security situation, which he said had been largely given a wrong interpretation by political opponents to tarnish the image of the government.
“Your going to Nkwerre for the programme and coming back safely is a pointer to the fact that peace has returned to Imo State and the insinuation that Imo State is the insecurity headquarters of the world is not true,” he added.

He said the NMA had joined the list of high profile meetings that had taken in the past two years in Imo State and involving the Army, Police, Conference of Bishops, Accountants, Nigerian Guild of Editors and others.

 “That these bodies successfully held their meetings in Imo without hitches shows that Imo is safe.”

 Uzodimma said his administration had made efforts, since inception, to give Imo citizens the best of healthcare first, by increasing the health sector’s budgetary allocation from paltry four percent to eight per cent and hoping to move it to 16 per cent in the subsequent budget as part of measures to improve health delivery.

He recalled that his government established Free Mobile Health Clinic at inception in addition to the rehabilitation of the 305 Primary Healthcare Centres in the 305 Wards of the State because of the poor state of the health sector when he assumed office.

On Secondary healthcare system, the governor informed of the construction of three brand new General Hospital in the State, equipped with state of the art facilities and ready for commissioning, all meant to complement the excellent works of the Specialist Hospital at Umuguma in Owerri.

He also recalled efforts made by his administration in the return of accreditation to School of Nursing and Midwifery at Aboh Mbaise and Amaigbo as well as the recovery of Imo State Teaching Hospital Orlu which was in a comatose state when he assumed office in January 2020.

Governor Uzodimma used the opportunity to thank the Federal Government for the approval to make FMC, Owerri a Teaching Hospital, saying the development has led to Imo State having two Tertiary health institutions, “a partnership that will offer comprehensive healthcare to the citizens of Imo State.”